Iran Blocks IAEA Nuclear Inspectors: Supreme Leader Remains in Hiding
Months after the devastating military escalations in the Middle East, the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program is once again coming to a dramatic head. According to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Tehran is vehemently refusing to grant international inspectors access to its nuclear facilities. At the same time, the Iranian leadership under the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is attempting to keep the population on track amid severe political tensions—yet the leader himself remains out of the public eye.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is demanding immediate access to more than a dozen nuclear facilities in Iran. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Yagasi / CC BY-SA 4.0
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has unequivocally called on the Iranian government to grant immediate access to more than a dozen nuclear facilities. The confidential report, which is in the possession of the German Press Agency (dpa) as reported by ORF, paints an alarming picture: In recent months, the agency has been allowed to inspect only a single nuclear facility.
In total, Iran has 22 nuclear facilities, most of which were attacked and partially damaged during the previous war with the U.S. and Israel. Although Tehran only allowed an inspection of the strategically important nuclear power plant in Bushehr a few days ago, shortly before the upcoming meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, Grossi emphasizes that further, comprehensive inspections are “indispensable.” Without these inspections, the IAEA is currently unable to verify whether Iran has halted its uranium enrichment or how much weapons-grade material is currently in the Islamic Republic.
According to IAEA reports, the Bushehr nuclear power plant was struck by projectiles on multiple occasions during the height of the conflict in March and April. A security guard was killed in an accident near the security fence in early April.
Khamenei calls for unity—and remains silent on his condition
Amid the nuclear tensions, the regime is attempting to mend the rifts within its own country. As reported by ORF, on the 37th anniversary of the death of the revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a written statement by the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was read aloud at his mausoleum in Tehran.
In it, Khamenei accused the U.S. and Israel of seeking to sow discord, doubt, and mistrust following their “severe defeat” in the war, in order to strategically divide the Iranian nation. He called on the population to show “steadfastness and foresight” as well as “unity and cohesion” to thwart the enemies’ “sinister plans.”
However, the leader’s absence remains striking: Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public in person since the devastating airstrikes of February 28, in which his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, was killed. Although the regime insists he suffered only minor injuries in the attack, his continued absence continues to fuel speculation about his actual state of health as well as internal power struggles in Iran.
The devastating war, which culminated in the targeted killing of Ali Khamenei on February 28, resulted in a highly unstable ceasefire on April 8. Peace talks aimed at a lasting end to the conflict have so far been fruitless.