Tehran urges IAEA to shed light on Saudi ‘covert’ nuclear program. “Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and has a comprehensive bilateral safeguard agreement with the Agency, it has unfortunately refused to abide by its commitments to the Agency’s inspections despite repetitive calls,” Kazem Gharibabadi said, according to Tasnim. Gharibabadi urged the IAEA to carry out investigations and submit a full report on the status of nuclear activities in the Saudi kingdom. Raising alarm about Riyadh’s nuclear ambitions, the ambassador said the international community will not accept Saudi “deviation” from a peaceful nuclear program and will confront it. The comments came after American intelligence agencies reportedly said they had spotted an undeclared nuclear site near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, scrutinizing attempts by the kingdom to process uranium and move toward the development of atomic bombs. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the agencies had in recent weeks circulated a classified analysis about Saudi attempts to build up its ability to produce nuclear fuel that could potentially lead to the development of nuclear weapons. The study shows “a newly completed structure near a solar-panel production area near Riyadh, the Saudi capital, that some government analysts and outside experts suspect could be one of a number of undeclared nuclear sites,” the report said.
Tehran Times 9th Aug 2020 read more »
Iran’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Austria, has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to clarify Saudi Arabia’s “covert” nuclear activities. “Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia is a member of the [nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty and has a comprehensive bilateral safeguards agreement with the agency, it has unfortunately refused to abide by its commitments to the agency’s inspections despite repetitive calls,” Kazem Gharibabadi also said on Saturday, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Financial Tribune 9th Aug 2020 read more »