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Iran should not suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday, warning such a move would send “the completely wrong signal.”
Speaking at a press conference in Berlin alongside his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, Wadephul said, “I urge the Iranian government not to take this path.”
His comments came after Iran’s parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the UN watchdog. Tehran has accused the agency of political bias and failing to uphold its obligations.
The US Senate will hold a classified briefing on the situation in Iran on Thursday afternoon, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The session is scheduled for 2 pm ET, after being postponed from earlier in the week, according to the report.
Centrifuges at Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility are no longer operational due to physical damage from recent US strikes, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Thursday.
“Given the power of these bombs and technical characteristics of the centrifuges, we do know that they are no longer operational, simply because of the vibration, which causes considerable, important physical damage,” Grossi told Radio France Internationale. He said satellite images indicate the enrichment hall at Fordow was likely hit.
Grossi added that Iran has not responded to the agency’s request to resume inspections. “The agency’s presence in Iran is not a gesture of generosity, it’s an international responsibility,” he said, stressing that inspections are a legal obligation under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran’s parliament voted Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. The Supreme National Security Council must still approve the move.
The United States has agreed to a proposal from Oman to host a new round of talks with Iran early next week, but Tehran has yet to give a final response, regional sources told Iran International.
Iranian authorities have arrested an alleged Mossad agent in the Tehran metro, saying he was transmitting the locations of sensitive and military sites using an electronic chip, state-run IRIB reported on Thursday.
IRIB quoted a police spokesperson as saying the man was detained after officers grew suspicious of his movements.
The report said that he allegedly received instructions in Hebrew and sent location data to unknown contacts.
The suspect and his equipment were handed over to specialized police units for further investigation, the report added.
