In his most recent interview, IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi played up concerns about the Iranian nuclear program, conceding that he has no indication of an active nuclear weapons program, while saying that he’s starting to worry about inspection access being curtailed.
His comments are reflective of other things Grossi has said lately, suggesting he is trying to shift the narrative on talks with Iran by playing into the tired fear-mongering so often put forward by his predecessors.
Grossi is in an unenviable position, having taken his post at the IAEA in the middle of protracted battles over the Iran nuclear deal and sanctions relief. Iran cut access to the IAEA to try to coax cooperation out of the P5+1. It’s not about the IAEA, but Grossi is clearly trying to treat this as an Iran vs. IAEA situation.
In playing up the limited access he’s getting, Grossi is playing to the US tone in talks, but sanctions relief that would be the solution to these issues, and would free up access. That’s being negotiated by the nations, not Grossi, and his comments risk undercutting deals those nations might make.
Every country which has produced a nuclear arsenal began that quest with a nuclear test and for very good reasons. Before you commit to producing tens if not hundreds of nuclear warheads you want to be sure that your design and technology work. Of course our own governments needed to test every new system of nuclear mass destruction, eventually on foreign lands and waters.
If the threat at Iran of the Obama administration voiced by then Secretary Clinton was serious [1] then the principal reasons of that administration for negotiating the agreement with Iran was never to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon but to avoid having to classical bomb if not nuke Iran into flatness. Why President Trump and his advisors did not continue that rational policy was super moronic.
Since flattening Iran [2] still is a major threat the Biden policy is truly idiotic too. Just do away with all trade restrictions, get back in that agreement today, but maintain the original threat. The government of Iran believes it.
The issue of non-nuclear arms must be separated from the nuclear issue and must be negotiated separately. Whatever, it seems unlikely that any foreign power can prevent Iran to develop its non-nuclear military capability.
Then begin work on getting the UK, France and Israel, our nuke-happy allies to give up theirs. That is far more significant than your diking with Iran.
[1] if you get a nuclear capability we will flatten your country.
[2] jointly by Israel and US.