IAEA chief worried Israel could strike Iran nuclear facilities

NEW YORK - The United Nations nuclear watchdog chief said on April 15 he is concerned about Israel possibly targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of Iranian facilities would resume on April 16.

Israel’s military chief said on April 15 that his country would

respond to a weekend missile and drone attack

by Iran, launched in retaliation for a

suspected Israeli air strike on its embassy compound in Damascus

on April 1. This comes amid calls for restraint by allies anxious to avoid an escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said Iran closed its nuclear facilities on April 14 over “security considerations” and that while they reopened on April 15, he kept IAEA inspectors away “until we see that the situation is completely calm”.

“We are going to resume tomorrow,” Mr Grossi told reporters in New York. “This has not had an impact on our inspection activity.”

When asked about the possibility of an Israel strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, Mr Grossi said: “We are always concerned about this possibility”. He urged “extreme restraint”. The IAEA regularly inspects Iran’s main nuclear facilities, such as its enrichment plants at Natanz that are at the heart of the country’s nuclear programme.

Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, but Western powers accuse Tehran of seeking to make nuclear bombs. REUTERS