Voice of America
09 Nov 2019, 18:35 GMT+10
TEHRAN - Iran defended on Saturday its decision to block an U.N. inspector from a nuclear site last week.
A spokesman for Iran's atomic agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said that the Iranian government "legally speaking" had done nothing wrong in stopping the female inspector from touring its Natanz nuclear facility on Oct. 28.
Iran alleges the inspector tested positive for suspected traces of explosive nitrates. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has disputed the claim.
"The reason that this lady was denied entrance was that she was suspected of carrying some material," said Kamlavandi, referring to the allegations.
He added that Iran was exercising its "rights" under its agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency when it revoked "her entrance and accreditation."
It marked the first known instance of Iran blocking an inspector amid tensions over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers. The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the deal over a year ago.
Kamalvandi said Iran hasn't imposed any restriction on inspections.
"We welcome the inspections," he said, while warning against using them for "sabotage and leaking information."
State TV carried Kamalvandi's remarks from the Fordo nuclear site where Iran Thursday injected uranium gas into centrifuges aimed at producing low-enriched uranium as fuel for nuclear power plants.
Under the 2015 deal, Iran was not supposed to enrich uranium at the site until 2030.
Get a daily dose of Hong Kong Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Hong Kong Herald.
More InformationBEIJING, China: China's national soccer team may struggle to stir excitement, but its humanoid robots are drawing cheers — and not...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...
BONN, Germany: Despite widespread belt-tightening across the United Nations, nearly 200 countries agreed this week to increase the...
SEATTLE, Washington: U.S. coffee company Starbucks has said it is not planning to sell all of its business in China, even though a...
NEW YORK, New York - Global stock indices closed with divergent performances on Tuesday, as investors weighed corporate earnings, central...
TORONTO, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late on June 29 that trade negotiations with the U.S. have recommenced...
Vancouver, Canada: A high-stakes legal showdown is brewing in the world of athleisure. Lululemon, the Canadian brand known for its...
LONDON, U.K.: British oil giant Shell has denied reports that it is in talks to acquire rival oil company BP. The Wall Street Journal...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed firmly in positive territory to start the week Monday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he was halting trade discussions with Canada due to its decision...