Iran closed down its nuclear facilities amid fears of an Israeli attack, the United Nations has revealed.
Inspectors
were blocked from the sites on Sunday, Rafael Grossi, the UN’s International
Atomic Energy Agency chief, said.
The
shutdown came as Israel’s war cabinet was locked in talks over how to respond
to Iran’s first direct attack on its territory.
Experts
have warned Iran is on the “threshold” of becoming a nuclear power and could
build a bomb in six months to a year. Uranium enrichment is accelerating as the
regime faces calls to create a deterrent.
There is
limited evidence the Islamic Republic wants to create a nuclear bomb, and
Israel is not understood to be preparing an imminent attack on nuclear
facilities.
But Mr
Grossi said UN inspectors in Iran “were informed by the Iranian government
that… all the nuclear facilities we are inspecting every day would remain
closed on security considerations” following the Iranian strikes.
He added
that the facilities reopened on Monday but the inspectors would not be coming
back there until some time on Tuesday.
The UN
inspections are a legacy of the now defunct Iran nuclear deal, which exchanged
sanctions relief for curbs and monitoring of the nuclear programme to prevent
Tehran getting the bomb.
Inspectors
this year found Iran was scaling up production of nuclear fuel approaching
weapons grade uranium.
They
also found newly installed equipment, ever faster speeds of uranium enrichment,
and a planned expansion to double output.
The
country’s Atomic Energy Organisation also used the term “deterrence” in
relation to its nuclear programme earlier this year.
Kelsey
Davenport, the director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control
Association, said, “Iran is sitting on the threshold of nuclear weapons; it can
build a bomb more quickly than at any point in its history.”
Ms
Davenport warned that Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities would be
“counter-productive”.
“A
strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities should be off the table,” she said.
“Targeting Iranian nuclear sites in reaction to a drone and missile attack that
did minimal damage to Israel would be a reckless and irresponsible escalation
that increases the risk of a wider regional war.
“A
large-scale attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is more likely to push Tehran
to decide that developing nuclear weapons is necessary to deter future
attacks.”
Iranian
officials have always insisted that Tehran is pursuing its nuclear programme
for civilian needs.
But the
Islamic Republic has warned of a “severe” and “painful” response to any Israeli
retaliation as the regime’s supporters urged it to build the weapons of mass
destruction.
Abolfazl
Amoei, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security committee,
said: “We are prepared to use weapons we haven’t used previously, and we have
strategies for every possible scenario. The Zionists should be careful.”
On
social media, Madhi Mohammadi, an adviser to the speaker of the Iranian
parliament, posted: “In addition to its missile programme, Iran also has a
nuclear programme.”
Ebrahim
Raisi, the president of Iran, said in a call on Monday with the emir of Qatar,
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani: “We firmly declare that the slightest action
against Iran’s interests will definitely be met with a severe, extensive and
painful response.”
Benjamin
Netanyahu on Monday summoned the Israeli war cabinet for the second time in
less than 24 hours, amid pressure from Joe Biden, the US president, and
European allies to show restraint.
Hardliners
tell Netanyahu to ‘go berserk’
The
Israeli prime minister is also under pressure from hardliners in his own Likud
party and hard-Right ministers to “go berserk”, despite fears of the
Israel-Hamas war escalating into a regional conflict.
“This
launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles and drones into Israeli territory
will be met with a response,” Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military’s chief of
staff, said after most of the drones and missiles dispatched in n Iran’s first
ever direct attack on Israel were shut down.
“If this
government gives in to Biden’s demands, and doesn’t use this golden opportunity
to attack Iran and eliminate the Iranian threat – as far as I’m concerned, this
government no longer deserves confidence,” said Tally Gotliv, a Likud MP.
“Every
Israeli will rue for years every passing minute it doesn’t attack Iran [...] If
the government is led by cowards, it will be guilty of the inferno, God forbid,
afflicted on Israel in the future.”
Yoav
Gallant, the defence minister, has urged a more cautious approach. Benny Gantz,
the most popular politician in the country and the main opposition to Mr
Netanyahu, has also called for restraint.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/iran-shuts-nuclear-facilities-cancels-130720451.html