UN monitoring cameras damaged in terrorist attacks: Iranian official

Tehran, Sep 16 Some of the monitoring cameras installed by UN nuclear inspectors at Iranian nuclear sites under the 2015 nuclear agreement "were damaged in recent terrorist attacks" and were not replaced due to other deal parties not fulfilling their commitments, the country's nuclear chief said.

"A number of these cameras were damaged during recent terrorist operations, leading to two extremely harsh and destructive reports" by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Xinhua news agency quoted Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), was as saying on Wednesday.

Talking on the sidelines of a meeting with the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Eslami noted the cameras required under the Non-Proliferation Treaty's safeguards agreement with the IAEA are working, but those related to the 2015 agreement "were no longer necessary, given the counterparts' non-compliance".

Eslami told reporters on Wednesday that a meeting was held with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, in order to clear up any "ambiguity" and "clarify" matters, and Iran is now confident that "no ambiguities currently exist at the IAEA concerning Iran's nuclear program",

Grossi met Eslami in a one-day visit to Iran on Sunday before the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, which started on Monday in Austria's capital Vienna.

The two issued a statement on Sunday reaffirming a spirit of cooperation and mutual trust.

According to the statement, Grossi and Eslami will meet at the IAEA General Conference scheduled from September 20 to 24, and Grossi will visit Tehran in the near future to hold high level consultations with the Iranian authorities.

Iran denounced a "nuclear terrorism" attack on April 13 after a blackout struck the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran the day before.

Iran's Foreign Minister at the time Mohammad Javad Zarif accused "Israel of being behind the incident."

On July 6, the Iranian government newly blamed "Israel for a sabotage act against a nuclear organisation building near Karaj city", on June 23.

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