U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday condemned Iran's "disproportionate and unprecedented" move to bar multiple inspectors assigned to the country, hindering its oversight of Tehran's atomic activities.

Iran's move is a response to a call led by the United States, Britain, France and Germany at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors this week for Tehran to cooperate immediately with the IAEA on issues including explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

Grossi made clear, however, that he believed Iran had overreacted.

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"I strongly condemn this disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure which affects the normal planning and conduct of agency verification activities in Iran and openly contradicts the cooperation that should exist between the agency and Iran," he said in a statement.

Iran's move, known as "de-designation" of inspectors, is allowed; member states can generally veto inspectors assigned to visit their nuclear facilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and each country's safeguards agreement with the agency governing inspections.

But the IAEA said Tehran's decision went beyond normal practice. It said Iran had told it that it would bar "several" inspectors, without giving a number.

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"These inspectors are among the most experienced agency experts with unique knowledge in enrichment technology," the agency said. "With today's decision, Iran has effectively removed about one third of the core group of the Agency's most experienced inspectors designated for Iran."

Iran defended its move and accused the United States, Britain, France and Germany of politicising the IAEA watchdog.

"Unfortunately, despite Iran's positive, constructive and continuous interaction of the with the agency, the three European countries and the United States abused the (IAEA's) Board of Governors for their own political purposes," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told state media.

"Of course, Iran will continue its positive cooperation within the framework of the agreements that have been made, and emphasise the necessity of the agency's neutrality," he added.

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A Vienna-based diplomat said Iran had de-designated all the French and German members of the IAEA inspection team. There were already no U.S. or British members.

"This measure, while formally permitted by the NPT Safeguards Agreement, has been exercised by Iran in a manner that affects in a direct and severe way the ability of the IAEA to conduct effectively its inspections in Iran," the IAEA said.

Grossi added: "I call upon the Iranian Government to reconsider its decision and to return to a path of cooperation with the Agency."

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday condemned Iran's "disproportionate and unprecedented" move to bar multiple inspectors assigned to the country, hindering its oversight of Tehran's atomic activities.

U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday condemned Iran's "disproportionate and unprecedented" move to bar multiple inspectors assigned to the country, hindering its oversight of Tehran's atomic activities. Iran's move is a response to a call led by the United States, Britain, France and Germany at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors this week for Tehran to cooperate immediately with the IAEA on issues including explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Grossi made clear, however, that he believed Iran had overreacted. Also Read | Libya: Aid groups warn of disease risk as country struggles to recover from flood "I strongly condemn this disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure which affects the normal planning and conduct of agency verification activities in Iran and openly contradicts the cooperation that should exist between the agency and Iran," he said in a statement. Iran's move, known as "de-designation" of inspectors, is allowed; member states can generally veto inspectors assigned to visit their nuclear facilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and each country's safeguards agreement with the agency governing inspections. But the IAEA said Tehran's decision went beyond normal practice. It said Iran had told it that it would bar "several" inspectors, without giving a number. Also Read | 'Up to South to change rules of game': G77+China urges for new global order at Cuba Summit "These inspectors are among the most experienced agency experts with unique knowledge in enrichment technology," the agency said. "With today's decision, Iran has effectively removed about one third of the core group of the Agency's most experienced inspectors designated for Iran." Iran defended its move and accused the United States, Britain, France and Germany of politicising the IAEA watchdog. "Unfortunately, despite Iran's positive, constructive and continuous interaction of the with the agency, the three European countries and the United States abused the (IAEA's) Board of Governors for their own political purposes," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told state media. "Of course, Iran will continue its positive cooperation within the framework of the agreements that have been made, and emphasise the necessity of the agency's neutrality," he added. WATCH | Libya: Death toll mounts, search ops continue × A Vienna-based diplomat said Iran had de-designated all the French and German members of the IAEA inspection team. There were already no U.S. or British members. "This measure, while formally permitted by the NPT Safeguards Agreement, has been exercised by Iran in a manner that affects in a direct and severe way the ability of the IAEA to conduct effectively its inspections in Iran," the IAEA said. Grossi added: "I call upon the Iranian Government to reconsider its decision and to return to a path of cooperation with the Agency." The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

IAEA chief Grossi condemns Iran's 'unprecedented' barring of inspectors

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the atomic watchdog of the United Nations (UN), on Friday (September 9) warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety due to a spike in fighting near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the war-torn Ukraine.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the atomic watchdog of the United Nations (UN), on Friday (September 9) warned of a potential threat to nuclear safety due to a spike in fighting near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the war-torn Ukraine. In a statement, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, "I remain deeply concerned about the possible dangers facing the plant at this time of heightened military tension in the region." “Whatever happens in a conflict zone, wherever it may be, everybody would stand to lose from a nuclear accident, and I urge that all necessary precautions must be taken to avoid it happening,” Grossi said. He added the IAEA team was informed that staff at the nuclear power plant had been reduced temporarily to minimum levels due to concerns about more military activity in the area. 'Numerous explosions reported near Zaporizhzhia for past 1 week' The IAEA said that its experts deployed at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported hearing numerous explosions over the past week. There has been no damage to the plant. "Starting last Saturday, the IAEA team heard around two dozen explosions over three days, followed by several more in the last few days. There was no damage to the plant itself," the statement further said. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February last year, the UN atomic watchdog has expressed concerns that the fighting could cause a potential radiation leak from the facility, which is one of the world’s 10 biggest nuclear power stations. The plant's six reactors have been shut for months but it still requires power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. The Zaporizhzhia plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March last year. Last month, Ukraine's atomic energy operator said that it was vital to gain control of the plant to supply electricity to Ukraine. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Amid fighting near Zaporizhzhia plant, UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Friday he had heard that one or two experts behind its report greenlighting Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant may have had concerns.

"There have been some ideas to the effect that one or two experts would have been against (the report)," Rafael Grossi told Reuters in his first interview since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its report vouching for the safety of a plan that has faced criticism at home and abroad.

Asked to clarify whether there was concern among any experts behind the report, which included participants from 11 countries including China, the fiercest critic of Japan's plan, Grossi added: "I heard that being said ... but again, what we have published is scientifically impeccable."

Grossi said none of the experts had raised concerns with him directly and he did not elaborate on how he had heard of the concern.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper on Thursday said Liu Senlin, a Chinese expert in the IAEA's technical working group, was disappointed with the "hasty" report and had said the input from experts was limited and only used for reference.

Liu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday the IAEA's report "did not fully reflect the views of all the experts involved in the assessment" and that its conclusions were "limited and one-sided".

The taskforce established by the IAEA in 2021 to review the safety of Japan's plan to release some 500 Olympic size swimming pools worth of water from the plant wrecked by a tsunami more than a decade ago, also include members from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Marshall Islands, South Korea, Russia, Britain, the US and Vietnam.

At a later press conference, Grossi said the report was not formed by consensus and that the group of scientific experts and advisers consulted "may or may not have individual opinions".

Asked whether the experts were satisfied with the content of the report, Grossi said: "Absolutely, yes. If there's someone that's not, they should say it."

<h2>'Not endorsement' </h2>

Beijing has blasted the IAEA's report saying the body should not be endorsing a plan which poses risks to marine life and human health, despite assurances from Japan and the IAEA that it will have a negligible environmental impact.

Grossi said the IAEA's report did not amount to an endorsement of the plan and that Tokyo must take the final decision to release the water due to start later this summer.

"We do not endorse the plan or recommend this to be done. We say this plan is consistent with the standards," Grossi said.

"We do not take sides. I'm not on the side of Japan or on the side of China or on the side of Korea. The standards apply to all the same way," he added.

Some Japanese officials are worried that China, the biggest buyer of its seafood exports, may halt purchases of those items after Tokyo begins the water discharge, expected to take up to 40 years to complete.

China said on Friday it will tighten its scrutiny of food imports from Japan due to safety concerns.

South Korea, which has previously expressed concerns about the release, said on Friday Japan's plans met global safety standards and it respected the IAEA's review.

Before the water is released into the ocean, Japan says it will be filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. The treated water will then be diluted to well below internationally approved levels, Japan says.

Grossi said given the low levels of radionuclides in the water to be released, they may be indiscernible a few miles from Japan's coast.

"It could be the case that there's no transboundary effect at all," he said.

But as well as varying degrees of international criticism, the plan has also met resistance at home, especially among the fishing community concerned about demand for their produce.

Grossi said he understood the concerns because "nothing identical" to this release had happened before. He added, however, there were also "certain political agendas" attached to criticisms of the plan, without elaborating.

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The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Friday he had heard that one or two experts behind its report greenlighting Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant may have had concerns.

The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on Friday he had heard that one or two experts behind its report greenlighting Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima plant may have had concerns. "There have been some ideas to the effect that one or two experts would have been against (the report)," Rafael Grossi told Reuters in his first interview since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its report vouching for the safety of a plan that has faced criticism at home and abroad. Asked to clarify whether there was concern among any experts behind the report, which included participants from 11 countries including China, the fiercest critic of Japan's plan, Grossi added: "I heard that being said ... but again, what we have published is scientifically impeccable." Grossi said none of the experts had raised concerns with him directly and he did not elaborate on how he had heard of the concern. China's state-run Global Times newspaper on Thursday said Liu Senlin, a Chinese expert in the IAEA's technical working group, was disappointed with the "hasty" report and had said the input from experts was limited and only used for reference. Liu did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday the IAEA's report "did not fully reflect the views of all the experts involved in the assessment" and that its conclusions were "limited and one-sided". The taskforce established by the IAEA in 2021 to review the safety of Japan's plan to release some 500 Olympic size swimming pools worth of water from the plant wrecked by a tsunami more than a decade ago, also include members from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Marshall Islands, South Korea, Russia, Britain, the US and Vietnam. At a later press conference, Grossi said the report was not formed by consensus and that the group of scientific experts and advisers consulted "may or may not have individual opinions". Asked whether the experts were satisfied with the content of the report, Grossi said: "Absolutely, yes. If there's someone that's not, they should say it." 'Not endorsement' Beijing has blasted the IAEA's report saying the body should not be endorsing a plan which poses risks to marine life and human health, despite assurances from Japan and the IAEA that it will have a negligible environmental impact. Grossi said the IAEA's report did not amount to an endorsement of the plan and that Tokyo must take the final decision to release the water due to start later this summer. "We do not endorse the plan or recommend this to be done. We say this plan is consistent with the standards," Grossi said. "We do not take sides. I'm not on the side of Japan or on the side of China or on the side of Korea. The standards apply to all the same way," he added. Some Japanese officials are worried that China, the biggest buyer of its seafood exports, may halt purchases of those items after Tokyo begins the water discharge, expected to take up to 40 years to complete. China said on Friday it will tighten its scrutiny of food imports from Japan due to safety concerns. South Korea, which has previously expressed concerns about the release, said on Friday Japan's plans met global safety standards and it respected the IAEA's review. Before the water is released into the ocean, Japan says it will be filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. The treated water will then be diluted to well below internationally approved levels, Japan says. Grossi said given the low levels of radionuclides in the water to be released, they may be indiscernible a few miles from Japan's coast. "It could be the case that there's no transboundary effect at all," he said. But as well as varying degrees of international criticism, the plan has also met resistance at home, especially among the fishing community concerned about demand for their produce. Grossi said he understood the concerns because "nothing identical" to this release had happened before. He added, however, there were also "certain political agendas" attached to criticisms of the plan, without elaborating. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

IAEA chief Grossi hints at discord among Fukushima review experts: Report

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IAEA chief Grossi condemns Iran's 'unprecedented' barring of inspectors

Amid fighting near Zaporizhzhia plant, UN atomic watchdog warns of threat to nuclear safety

IAEA chief Grossi hints at discord among Fukushima review experts: Report