It’s often difficult to find reasons to rail at Iran’s nuclear program, when the IAEA is insisting they’re in compliance with their obligations. Last week, however, an IAEA inspector was very briefly detained at the Fordow enrichment site, and western officials are “deeply concerned.”
US officials were practically licking their lips as they declared it an “outrageous provocation,” and were trying to turn this into the sort of diplomatic controversy that it does not appear to be.
Iran offered a very plain explanation, and the facts do not appear to be in dispute. They say the inspector in question set off an alarm immediately on entering the site. The alarm detected nitrates, linked with possible explosives.
They checked her several times, and she kept setting the alarm off, while none of the other IAEA staff did. While Iran was waiting for a female staffer to search her, the inspector wandered off and went to the bathroom.
When the inspector got back, she was inexplicably no longer setting off the alarm. Iran says “alarming signals” were found in the toilet bowl at the site, and they are still investigating. Iranian officials added that past sabotage attempts meant they felt they had to be careful about people setting off alarms like that.
The IAEA, however, said it is never acceptable to prevent an inspector from leaving, even though Iran’s delay appears to have been quite brief. Iran, for its part, is requesting the IAEA not send that inspector again.
more tempest in a teapot…..a quarter of these IAEA inspectors are probably spies for the Western powers. This one was obviously carrying something somewhere that may have been hazardous to the work at the site.
She should never be allowed again into Iran; and the IAEA should be investigating her thoroughly, which of course they won’t
Our opponents are cunning and sly, we are concerned and worried. We do have wars but our wars are wars of concern. Every drone operator should be made aware that they should put on their concerned face whenever they are being photographed.
Well done. Stay vigilant. The Anglo-Zionist will use every trick they have in their bag.
Good catch! And it doesn’t matter which country this “inspector” was from. The point is to stay vigilant. So says Mr. Stewart.
If Iran reacted like the US typically does in these situations, Israel would have already been turned into a dust bowel…
What is her name, and what country is she from?
What form of sabotage was she attempting, and on behalf of whom?
That is plainly a crime, as well as an abuse of the inspection system. Iran would be within its rights to insist on prosecution.