IAEA Chief: Washington Still Contributes to Nuclear Deal

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP
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IAEA Chief: Washington Still Contributes to Nuclear Deal

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi confirmed Sunday that despite Washington’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal, it continues to contribute to the deal by providing financial support to international inspections to verify Iranian activities.

Speaking to dpa in Vienna ahead of his visit to Berlin, where he is set to meet Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and take part in the World Health Summit conference on Monday and Tuesday, Grossi said, “Washington provides us with important contributions that allow us to continue our work,” adding that without these addition funds – from Washington and elsewhere – the IAEA would not be able to resume its operations.

This is the first time Grossi uncovers the financial support offered by the US to inspection operations after Washington’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal two years ago.

Grossi's statement would put pressure on Iran and parties of the Nuclear Deal who earlier refused to recognize Washington’s right to activate the Deal’s mechanisms on the grounds after its withdrawal from the agreement in May 2018.

Last August, the US announced a move known as a “snapback”, which aims to re-establish all sanctions against Iran a month later.

It came as US President Donald Trump’s administration was unable to extend a UN Security Council embargo on conventional weapons being sent to Tehran.

Meanwhile, Grossi expressed the IAEA’s determination to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.

“The sooner we clarify all aspects that the IAEA will review, the better it will be for everyone, starting with Iran,” he said.

Grossi said IAEA inspectors have recently visited two sites in Iran where past nuclear activities may have taken place, adding that results of those visits would be announced in the coming two to four months.



Gunmen Attack Pakistan Passenger Vehicles, Killing at Least 38 People

FILE PHOTO: A member of the Airport Security Force ASF stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Shakil Adil/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A member of the Airport Security Force ASF stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Shakil Adil/File Photo
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Gunmen Attack Pakistan Passenger Vehicles, Killing at Least 38 People

FILE PHOTO: A member of the Airport Security Force ASF stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Shakil Adil/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A member of the Airport Security Force ASF stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Shakil Adil/File Photo

Gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles in a tribal area in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 38 people and wounding 29, the chief secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, said.
Among the fatalities in the attack, which occurred in the Kurram tribal district, were a woman and a child, Chaudhry said, adding: “It’s a major tragedy and death toll is likely to rise."
Tensions have existed for decades between armed Shia and Sunni Muslims over a land dispute in the tribal area that borders Afghanistan.
No group claimed responsibility for the incident.
"There were two convoys of passenger vehicles, one carrying passengers from Peshawar to Parachinar and another from Parachinar to Peshawar, when armed men opened fire on them,” a local resident of Parachinar, Ziarat Hussain told Reuters by telephone, adding that his relatives were traveling from Peshawar in the convoy.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, strongly condemned the attack on passenger vehicles.