IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on Monday doubled down on his objection to any potential Israeli preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Grossi had called any such an attack a violation of international law this past weekend, leading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to criticize him on Sunday as well as to affirm that Jerusalem would act against the Islamic Republic as it viewed necessary, including preemptive self-defense to avoid a nuclear threat.
The IAEA chief responded to a press question about the exchange saying, "I wouldn't comment of course on what the prime minister of Israel would say about me. There is nothing new really in what I said. I reiterated international law."
"International law from the Geneva Protocols in 1949 and thereafter and several resolutions of the general conference of the IAEA: attacks on nuclear facilities are illegal, are a violation of the UN Charter. I did not say anything which should be considered departing from what is in the public domain. Maybe that got their attention," he said.
He added he is always committed to trying to find diplomatic solutions over the military.
Grossi also dismissed public statements of Iranian officials that they would not give him access to key Iranian nuclear scientists, implying that behind-the-scenes they are sending him different messages.
Earlier Monday, Grossi told the IAEA Board of directors that it is crucial for Iran to follow through on commitments it made earlier this week in order to revive the 2015 JCPOA Iran nuclear deal.
He said that he had met with senior officials including Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami.
"These high-level meetings addressed the importance of taking steps to facilitate enhanced cooperation, to expedite as appropriate the resolution of outstanding safeguards issues. Both sides recognize that such positive engagements can pave the way for wider agreements among state parties," said Grossi.
"I welcome Iran’s high-level assurances that it is willing to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities, and to cooperate with the Agency to resolve the outstanding safeguards issues."
IAEA head Rafael Grossi
"As you are aware, the Agency has not been able to perform JCPOA verification and monitoring activities in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate (UOC) for two years, including nearly nine months when the surveillance and monitoring equipment were not installed," he continued.
"Following my discussions with Vice-President Eslami in Tehran on Saturday, I note Iran’s agreement to allow the Agency to proceed with further monitoring and verification measures indispensable to the Agency fulfilling its mission."
In addition, Grossi said that: "Achieving this will be very important because it would allow the Agency to begin to establish a new baseline necessary in the event of a resumption of Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA.
"I now look forward to the follow-up technical discussions and to the prompt and full implementation of Iran’s assurances and the Joint Statement between Vice-President Eslami and myself," he concluded.
Concerns over 84% enriched uranium
Grossi moved on to discuss the Islamic Republic's highly controversial enrichment of uranium to the 84%, almost weaponized level.
"In January, Iran implemented a significant change to the declared design information for the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) without informing the Agency in advance. This was contrary to Iran’s obligations under its Safeguards Agreement. Following discussions between Iran and Agency officials, Iran has since confirmed that it will facilitate the further increase in the frequency and intensity of Agency verification activities at FFEP, as notified by the Agency," he said.
Moreover, he stated, "Also in January at the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, we found particles of high enriched uranium with enrichment levels well beyond the enrichment level declared by Iran. The Agency and Iran have initiated technical discussions to fully clarify this issue."
"I welcome Iran’s high-level assurances that it is willing to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities, and to cooperate with the Agency to resolve the outstanding safeguards issues, including those pertaining to the three undeclared locations in which the Agency found traces of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin," concluded Grossi.