WorthyNews: Nuclear Deal With Iran ‘No Longer Useful’ Says Atomic Regulator

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ROME/TEHRAN (Worthy News) – The United Nations’ top atomic regulator has warned that reviving a nuclear deal with Iran is “no longer useful” as the Islamic Republic is on the verge of having nuclear weapons.

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that ” the philosophy of the original agreement with Iran can be used, but that agreement is no longer useful.”

His comments came while U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump was reportedly pondering preemptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites to prevent it from developing an atomic bomb.

In remarks monitored by Worthy News on Tuesday, Grossi noticed that Iran “has developed much stronger capabilities in all directions.”

He observed that Tehran accelerated the enrichment of uranium “to up to 60 percent purity” close to the “roughly 90 percent level that is weapons grade, and therefore it is almost at the level of countries that have nuclear weapons.”

Grossi spoke to Italy’s ANSA news agency on the sidelines of a meeting of ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry in Rome. “We must reformulate the [nuclear] agreement,” he stressed. European countries, the USA, Russia, and China will have to sit down at a table with the IAEA to define a system that serves the new Iranian reality. “

Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran was only permitted to enrich uranium to 3.68 percent purity, a level consistent with civilian uses of nuclear technology.

IAEA REPORT

Iran has claimed it only seems to have a “peaceful” nuclear program, capping its stockpile at 300 kilograms.

But an IAEA report handed to member states and leaked to the press earlier this month concluded that Iran dramatically expanded its production of uranium enriched to near-weapons grade levels.

Tehran is believed to have enough material for several atomic bombs already.

Before the nuclear accord, observers said Iran had amassed just over 200 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 percent purity and around 10,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium at levels of 5 percent purity or lower. Under the deal, according to officials, Iran was forced to reduce its stockpile by some 98 percent and shut down over half of its centrifuges.

Yet Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, alleged that Tehran had fooled the world and was continuing to pursue a nuclear weapon to be used against Israel covertly.

It prompted then-U.S. President Trump to pull out of the accord in 2018, although it was to ensure some sanctions against Iran are lifted if it uses nuclear energy peacefully.

Attempts by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to negotiate an American return to the pact collapsed in mid-2023.

PREEMPTIVE STRIKES

Trump is, therefore, “weighing the idea of preemptive strikes” to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb, sources said.

He discussed concerns over Iran’s nuclear program with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, according to sources familiar with the talks.

However, Trump declined to confirm publicly whether he was considering a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities during a press conference at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.

“Is that a serious question?” asked the president-elect in his first formal press conference since winning the election last month.

“I can’t tell you that,” said Trump, “Am I going to do preemptive strikes? Why would I say that? Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say that was strange that he answered that question.”

Another reporter followed up by asking if Trump would support Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program.

“How could I tell you a thing like that now? You don’t talk about that before something may or may not happen,” Trump responded.

The soon-to-be 47th president confirmed his phone conversation with Netanyahu but would not provide details other than to say the Middle East will be easier to resolve than the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

‘GOOD CONVERSATION’

“We just had a very good conversation. The real conversations will start on the 20th,” Trump explained.

“I think we’re going to be in a good place in the Middle East. I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation,” he added, referring to the ongoing war between the two neighbors.

Yet some optimistic experts suggested that Trump’s impending return to the White House raised hopes for a new nuclear deal.

They said that Iran is rapidly losing influence in the Middle East after the downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad.

Additionally, its proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, suffered heavy losses under Israeli strikes.

Israel launched the war after Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023.

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