Raisi Says Iran Has ‘No Problem’ with IAEA Inspections

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (AP)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (AP)
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Raisi Says Iran Has ‘No Problem’ with IAEA Inspections

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (AP)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (AP)

Iran has no issue with the UN nuclear watchdog's inspection of its nuclear sites, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday, days after Tehran barred multiple inspectors assigned to the country.

“We have no problem with the inspections but the problem is with some inspectors ... those inspectors that are trustworthy can continue their work in Iran,” Raisi told a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Iran's move was a response to a call led by the United States, Britain, France and Germany at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors earlier this month for Tehran to cooperate immediately with the agency on issues including explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

“Tehran's decision was in reaction to some unfair statements by the Western members of the IAEA,” Raisi said.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has condemned Iran's “disproportionate and unprecedented” move.

Tehran's move, known as “e-designation” of inspectors, is allowed; member states can generally veto inspectors assigned to visit their nuclear facilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and each country's safeguards agreement with the agency governing inspections.



Russia Is Ready to Mediate on Iran, and to Accept Tehran’s Uranium, Kremlin Says 

Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Russia Is Ready to Mediate on Iran, and to Accept Tehran’s Uranium, Kremlin Says 

Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, on June 16, 2025. (AFP)

Russia remains ready to act as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Iran, and Moscow's previous proposal to store Iranian uranium in Russia remains on the table, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Tehran says it has the right to peaceful nuclear power, but its swiftly-advancing uranium enrichment program has raised fears in the wider West and across the region that it wants to develop a nuclear weapon.

Russia’s previous proposals on taking uranium to Russia remains on the table "it remains relevant. But, of course, with the outbreak of hostilities, the situation has become seriously complicated," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

US President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Sunday that peace would come soon and cited the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could help.

Russia, Peskov said, remained ready to mediate if needed, but he noted the root causes of the conflict needed to be addressed and eliminated - and that the military strikes were escalating the entire crisis to beyond serious levels.

"Russia remains ready to do everything necessary to eliminate the root causes of this crisis," Peskov said. "But the situation is escalating more than seriously, and, of course, this is not affecting the situation for the better."

Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks to Fox News on Sunday that regime change in Iran could be a result of Israel's military attacks, Peskov said that the Kremlin had seen the remarks.

"You know that we condemn those actions that have led to such a dangerous escalation of tension in the region," Peskov said. "And secondly, we also note a significant consolidation of society in Iran against the background of the bombing that is currently being carried out by the Israeli side."