IAEA will ‘never politicize’ its work in Iran, Grossi says

IAEA will ‘never politicize’ its work in Iran, Grossi says
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi attends a news conference during an IAEA board of governors meeting in Vienna. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 05 June 2023
Follow

IAEA will ‘never politicize’ its work in Iran, Grossi says

IAEA will ‘never politicize’ its work in Iran, Grossi says

VIENNA: The International Atomic Energy Agency will “never politicize” its work in Iran, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Monday, insisting after Israel’s prime minister accused it of capitulating to Iranian pressure that his agency has been “very fair but firm.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments came after a confidential report from the IAEA last week said that its investigators had closed off their investigation of traces of man-made uranium found at Marivan, near the city of Abadeh, about 525 km southeast of Tehran.

Analysts had repeatedly linked Marivan to a possible secret Iranian military nuclear program and accused Iran of conducting high-explosives tests there in the early 2000s.

“Iran is continuing to lie to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency’s capitulation to Iranian pressure is a black stain on its record,” Netanyahu told his Cabinet in televised remarks on Sunday.

“If the IAEA becomes a political organization, then its oversight activity in Iran is without significance, as will be its reports on Iran’s nuclear activity,” Netanyahu said.

Asked on Monday about that criticism, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that his agency’s work is “neutral, it is impartial, it is technical.”

“We will always say things as they are,” Grossi told reporters on the first day of a regular meeting in Vienna of the IAEA board of governors.

Grossi added that he would “never enter into a polemic” with the head of government of a member of the IAEA. “We never politicize. We have our standards and apply them always,” he said.

“The politicization is in the eye of the beholder,” Grossi added.

Israel considers Iran to be its greatest enemy, and Netanyahu has repeatedly said that he would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. 

He has said international diplomacy should be accompanied by a serious military option, and hinted that Israel would be prepared to strike Iran on its own if necessary.

Before Netanyahu’s comments, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat said in a statement on Friday that the explanations provided by Iran for the presence of nuclear material at the Marivan site are “not reliable or technically possible.”

But Grossi insisted that the IAEA will “never, ever” water down its safeguards standards.

“We have been strict, technically impartial and, as I like to say, very fair but firm,” he said.

Grossi warned that cooperation with Iran on better monitoring its nuclear program was “very slow,” saying while some cameras and other equipment had been installed again “a lot more” needed to be done.

Analysts had repeatedly linked Marivan to a possible clandestine Iranian military nuclear program that the IAEA, the West and other countries say was abandoned in 2003. 

They had accused Iran of conducting high-explosives tests there in the early 2000s.

Last week’s IAEA report said that “another member state” operated a mine at the area in the 1960s and 1970s under the rule of then Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Iran had argued the uranium traces could have come from “laboratory instruments and equipment” used by miners at the site. 

The IAEA called the answer “a possible explanation.”

The IAEA is still seeking explanations on the origin and current location of the man-made uranium particles found at two other sites in Iran, Varamin and Turquzabad.

Tehran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes.


UAE President and Dutch PM discuss bilateral ties

UAE President and Dutch PM discuss bilateral ties
Updated 19 sec ago
Follow

UAE President and Dutch PM discuss bilateral ties

UAE President and Dutch PM discuss bilateral ties
  • Leaders reaffirmed shared commitment to achieving a breakthrough in international climate action

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties and strategic cooperation between the two countries, Emirates News Agency reported.

The two leaders discussed investment, the economy, education, culture, technology, and science during their meeting in Abu Dhabi. They also talked about renewable energy, sustainable development, and climate change, and addressed COP28 which will kick off in November in Expo City Dubai.

Sheikh Mohamed and Rutte reaffirmed their shared commitment to achieving a major breakthrough in international climate action.

The two exchanged views on a variety of regional and international issues of mutual interest, emphasizing the importance of working together to promote ideals of tolerance, harmony, peace, and human fraternity.

Sheikh Mohamed affirmed the strength of UAE-Netherlands relations, highlighting economic ties in critical sectors such as renewable energy, food security, technology, water, agriculture, and trade. 

He noted that non-oil trade exchange between the two countries reached $4.6 billion last year, representing a 7.2 percent increase over 2021.

Sheikh Mohamed said that the UAE is one of the Netherlands’ most important trading partners in the Arab world, highlighting that there are roughly 350 Dutch companies operating in the country.

Rutte extended his gratitude to Sheikh Mohamed for the warm welcome, emphasizing his country’s desire to enhance ties with the UAE.

Rutte also stated that the Netherlands and the UAE share many interests, particularly in the areas of sustainable development, the green economy, renewable energy, food security, and climate action.


Lebanon risks being ‘ostracized’ if presidential vacuum lingers -French envoy

Lebanon risks being ‘ostracized’ if presidential vacuum lingers -French envoy
Updated 26 September 2023
Follow

Lebanon risks being ‘ostracized’ if presidential vacuum lingers -French envoy

Lebanon risks being ‘ostracized’ if presidential vacuum lingers -French envoy
  • Le Drian told Lebanese daily L’Orient-Le Jour that he was planning to host a series of “consultations” among political actors
  • “I hope that the actors are aware that a way out must be found; otherwise, they will be ostracized by the international community,” Le Drian said

BEIRUT: Lebanon risks being “ostracized” by the international community if its nearly year-long presidential vacuum drags on further, France’s special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian told a local Lebanese newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of former head of state Michel Aoun ended last October. The current parliament, one of the country’s most deeply divided, has failed 12 times to elect a successor, with the last session in June.
Le Drian told Lebanese daily L’Orient-Le Jour that he was planning to host a series of “consultations” among political actors and that he hoped Speaker of Parliament Nabih would then begin convening parliament “for consecutive and open sessions.”
“I hope that the actors are aware that a way out must be found; otherwise, they will be ostracized by the international community. No one will want to see them anymore, and it will be unnecessary to seek support here or there,” Le Drian said.
The failure to elect a president has deepened sectarian tensions in Lebanon, already mired in one of the world’s worst economic crises and facing unprecedented political paralysis, with its cabinet only partially empowered.
Lebanon has failed to enact reforms required to gain access to $3 billion in funding from the International Monetary Fund. The IMF has blamed “vested interests” for the lack of progress.
Donor countries have stepped in to help fund various public services but have grown increasingly frustrated with Lebanon’s requests for more funding.
Le Drian on Tuesday said five key countries — the United States, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt — who had been coordinating on policies to help Lebanon out of its political impasse were beginning to reconsider assistance.
“The five are wondering how long they will continue to help Lebanon,” he said.
The five had already discussed possible measures against politicians and groups who were obstructing the election of a president.


Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank

Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank
Updated 26 September 2023
Follow

Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank

Saudi delegation visits Israel-occupied West Bank
  • The delegation led by the kingdom’s non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories, Nayef Al-Sudairi, arrived overland from Jordan
  • Sudairi is then due to meet Palestinian present Mahmud Abbas

Jericho: Saudi Arabia, which is in US-brokered talks with Israel to normalize relations, on Tuesday sent a delegation to the occupied West Bank for the first time in three decades.
The delegation led by the kingdom’s non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories, Nayef Al-Sudairi, arrived overland from Jordan, acting Jericho governor Yusra Sweiti said.
It is the first such Saudi delegation to travel to the West Bank since the landmark Oslo Accords were signed in 1993.
Sudairi, the Saudi envoy to Jordan, was last month appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories and consul general for Jerusalem.
He will be received by the top Palestinian diplomat, Riyad Al-Maliki, the foreign ministry in Ramallah said.
Sudairi is then due to meet Palestinian present Mahmud Abbas.
Sudairi’s visit to Ramallah comes as Washington has been leading talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia on a potential normalization of relations between the two countries, a move seen as a game-changer for the region.


Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM

Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM
Updated 26 September 2023
Follow

Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM

Japan proposes initiative to resume nuclear talks: Iran FM
  • Under US President Joe Biden’s administration, negotiations resumed with the objective of re-entering the agreement

DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Japan has proposed an initiative to resume negotiations to revive the nuclear deal that was signed in 2015 by Tehran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US.

According to Kyodo News, Abdollahian said any initiative from Japan that aligns with “Iran’s interests” would be viewed positively, adding: “We support the constructive role of Japan in reviving the nuclear deal.”

He told the Japanese news agency that he received a proposal from the Japanese government when he visited Tokyo last month and met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and former Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

Abdollahian said delays in the negotiations’ progress were caused by “excessive demands” by the US, Britain, France and Germany, as well as “interference” by other countries in Iran’s domestic issues, specifically with regard to protests over the death last year of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium, cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98 percent, and reduce by about two-thirds the number of its gas centrifuges for 13 years. It also agreed to enrich uranium only up to 3.67 percent for the next 15 years.

But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal, saying it did not address “Iran’s ballistic missile program and its proxy warfare in the region.”

Under US President Joe Biden’s administration, negotiations resumed with the objective of re-entering the agreement.

Most recently, on Sept. 20 Kishida and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met in New York to discuss security issues, bilateral relations and the nuclear deal.

Kishida said Japan has been consistent in its support of the deal and urged Iran to take constructive measures.


Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria

Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria
Updated 26 September 2023
Follow

Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria

Legal fight opens for Australian children to leave Syria
  • Save the Children is asking the court to bring the 11 women and 20 children from Al-Roj camp in Syria before the court in Australia

Sydney: More than 30 Australian women and children living in “appalling conditions” in a Syrian detention camp launched court action Tuesday to compel Canberra to bring them home.
Their case opened at the High Court in Melbourne, nearly a year after Australia repatriated the last group of four women and 13 children — the wives, sons and daughters of vanquished Daesh group fighters — from Syria.
“The situation of the remaining persons detained is stark and dire,” said Peter Morrissey, counsel for the charity Save the Children, which is acting on their behalf.
“Save the Children Australia represents women and children charged with no crime, detained in piteous and appalling conditions,” he told the court.
“Their health, safety, and dignity are seriously compromised by any standard. Their detention in the camps has endured for several years.”
Save the Children is asking the court for a writ of habeas corpus (or unlawful detention) requiring the government to bring the 11 women and 20 children from Al-Roj camp in Syria before the court in Australia.
“Despite countless opportunities to repatriate these families, the Australian government has ultimately failed in its duty to bring all of its citizens home to safety,” said Save the Children Australia chief executive Mat Tinkler.
“We desperately hope these children and their mothers will be imminently repatriated home to safety. It is unfathomable that the Australian government has abandoned its citizens,” he said in a statement.
Repatriations of Australian women and children from Syrian camps are a politically contentious issue in a country long known for its hard-line approach to immigration.
The Australian women and children have lived in the Al-Hol and Al-Roj detention camps in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria since the 2019 collapse of Daesh.