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IAEA Being Held 'Hostage' in Iran, Director Says

Grossi speaks at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on Wednesday. (dpa)
Grossi speaks at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on Wednesday. (dpa)
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IAEA Being Held 'Hostage' in Iran, Director Says

Grossi speaks at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on Wednesday. (dpa)
Grossi speaks at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos on Wednesday. (dpa)

Iran is barely cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which feels it is being held "hostage" to the country's disputes with Western countries, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi has told AFP.

For the past two years, tensions have characterized the relationship between Iran and the United Nations agency, marked by a series of contentious issues. Among these concerns are Iran's limitations on the monitoring activities related to its nuclear program and its failure to provide complete clarification regarding the detection of nuclear material traces at previously undisclosed sites.

Meanwhile, Iran persists in advancing its nuclear program, intensifying the production of enriched uranium by 60 percent. Western powers argue that this percentage has no civilian justification, despite Tehran's insistence on denying any intention to pursue the development of an atomic bomb.

"It's a very frustrating situation. We continue our activities there, but at a minimum," Grossi said in an interview on Thursday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. "They are restricting cooperation in a very unprecedented way."

He cited Iran's rejection of inspectors because of their nationalities as an example.

"It's a way to punish us because of external things," he said. "When there's something that France, the UK, or the United States says that they don't like, it is as if they were taking the IAEA hostage to their political disputes with others. This is unacceptable for us."

Iran last year slowed down its pace of uranium enrichment, which was seen as a goodwill gesture, while informal talks began with the United States. But it accelerated enrichment once again following the war in Gaza.

"There is a plateau at the moment, but it could change in the next few days," Grossi said. "We never know."

"Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy, this is what we need. We need to continue talking; we need to prevent the situation deteriorating to a degree where it would be impossible to retrieve it."

"I would not exclude returning to Iran," Grossi added.

The already poor relations between Washington and Teheran have worsened with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with each nation accusing the other of inflaming the situation.

In a statement shared on the X platform on Wednesday, Ali Bagheri-Kani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, disclosed that discussions took place in Geneva between him and his European Union counterpart, Enrique Mora, addressing the Gaza conflict and the sanctions imposed on Iran.

During a session in Davos, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, expressed Tehran’s openness to any measure facilitating the return of the parties involved in the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement to fulfill their respective obligations.

“The United States hopes that as the current Middle East crisis abates over time, it may be possible to engage in a more fruitful dialogue about Iran's nuclear program,” White House National Security Council Senior Director Pranay Vaddi said.

“We do not want to see an Iran with nuclear weapons,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the press.

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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice."

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the US as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

"The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. "We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honor our promises and uphold America’s values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the US government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 US resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It’s utterly heartbreaking."

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the US to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.