IAEA deals blow to Israel, closes nuclear investigation into Iran site

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday announced the closure of the investigation into the “suspected” nuclear facility in Iran, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about in a speech delivered in September 2019.

In a new report distributed to the organisation’s members, the agency stated that Iran: “Gave possible explanations for the uranium particles found at the suspicious Marivan site in Abadeh county… the matter is no longer outstanding at this stage.” This report was issued a few days before the scheduled meeting of the IAEA’s board of governors.

Commenting on the announcement, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid tweeted: “The decision by the IAEA is a harsh blow to Israel because the information it provided led to the opening of the investigation, and the decision closes one of the most important investigations opened against Iran in recent years.”

According to Israel’s allegations, the facility known as Marivan was linked to Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.

Israeli media reported that Iran: “Scored an important victory in the IAEA report, at a time when Israel is pressuring the world to put additional pressure on Iran.”

Arab affairs commentator for Israeli channel Kan Amichai Stein shared: “The Israelis believed that this was the right moment to put pressure on Iran, but the IAEA took a step in the opposite direction.”

READ: IAEA chief says Israel’s threats to strike Iran’s nuclear sites ‘illegal’

During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019, Netanyahu called on the IAEA to inspect what he claimed was a “secret atomic warehouse” in the Iranian capital.

The agency’s move comes days after Israeli media reported that the Israeli occupation had fears of an interim nuclear agreement between Iran and the West.

Head of the IAEA Mohammad Eslami accused the Israeli occupation of claiming lies for years to stir up the atmosphere against Iran in response to a question about the occupation’s allegations related to the construction of an Iranian nuclear facility in the Zagros Mountains.