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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 30 augusT 2022
Iran president: No way back to nuclear deal if probe goes on

By NASSER KARIMI and JON maintaining a stockpile of
GAMBRELL uranium of 300 kilograms
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s (660 pounds) under con-
president warned Monday stant scrutiny of IAEA sur-
that any roadmap to re- veillance cameras and
store Tehran’s tattered nu- inspectors. Then-President
clear deal with world pow- Donald Trump unilaterally
ers must see international withdrew America from the
inspectors end their probe accord in 2018, setting the
on man-made uranium stage for years of rising ten-
particles found at unde- sions.
clared sites in the country. As of the last public IAEA
In a rare news conference count, Iran has a stockpile
marking his first year in of- of some 3,800 kilograms
fice, President Ebrahim Raisi (8,370 pounds) of enriched
also issued threats against uranium. More worrying for
Israel and tried to sound nonprofileration experts,
upbeat as Iran’s economy Iran now enriches uranium
and rial currency has cra- up to 60% purity a level it
tered under the weight of never reached before that
international sanctions. is a short, technical step
Despite the international away from 90%. Those ex-
attention on the deal as perts warn Iran has enough
talks in Vienna hang in the 60%-enriched uranium to
balance, it took Raisi well In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President reprocess into fuel for at
Ebrahim Raisi sits during his press conference in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022.
over an hour before fully Associated Press least one nuclear bomb.
acknowledging the ongo- Amid the tensions, Israel is
ing negotiations. has sought for Iran to an- ar Nonproliferation Treaty, satisfaction. suspected in carrying out a
Tehran and Washington swer questions about man- Iran is obligated to explain Raisi mentioned the traces series of attacks targeting

have traded written re- made uranium particles the radioactive traces and referring to its as a “safe- Iranian nuclear sites, as well
sponses in recent weeks found at undeclared sites. to provide assurances that guards” issue using the as a prominent scientist.
on the finer points of the U.S. intelligence agencies, they are not being used as IAEA’s language. On Monday, Raisi directly
roadmap, which would see Western nations and the part of a nuclear weapons “Without settlement of threatened Israel.
sanctions lifted against Iran IAEA have said Iran ran an program. safeguard issues, speaking Raisi said if Israel decides
in exchange for it restrict- organized nuclear weap- Iran found itself criticized by about an agreement has to carry out its threats to
ing its rapidly advancing ons program until 2003. Iran the IAEA’s Board of Gover- no meaning,” Raisi said. destroy Iran’s nuclear pro-
nuclear program. long has denied ever seek- nors in June over its failure Under the 2015 nuclear gram, “they will see if any-
The International Atomic ing nuclear weapons. to answer questions about deal, Tehran could enrich thing from the Zionist re-
Energy Agency for years As a member of the Nucle- the sites to the inspectors’ uranium to 3.67%, while gime will remain or not.”q

Rights groups urge Yemen’s Houthis to end Taiz blockade

By SAMY MAGDY rest of the world,” said Mi- 2016. The southwestern Houthi-manned check- has been the longest lull
Associated Press chael Page, deputy Middle city is the junction of two points prevented residents of fighting in Yemen’s war,
CAIRO (AP) — Sixteen rights East and North Africa direc- crucial highways: an east- from bringing in essential now in its eighth year.
groups Monday urged Ye- tor at Human Rights Watch. west road leading to the items such as fruit, veg- Several rounds of U.N.-
men’s Houthi rebels to end The Houthis have imposed coastal city of Mocha on etables, cooking gas, di- facilitated negotiations in
their siege of the country’s a siege on the govern- the Red Sea, and another alysis treatment packets, the Jordanian capital of
third-largest city, as the in- ment-held Taiz, the capi- north-south, to Sanaa via and oxygen cylinders. They Amman failed to produce
ternationally recognized tal of the province by the Dhamar and Ibb provinces. also “unlawfully confiscat- an agreement to ease the
government said an over- same name, since March The joint statement said ed some of these items,” it Houthi blockade of Taiz.
night rebel attack killed at said. In July, the rebels have re-
least 10 troops. “The siege of Taiz has be- jected a U.N. proposal of a
The groups, including Hu- come nothing more than gradual reopening of Taiz
man Rights Watch and a card on the negotiat- roads, according to the
Amnesty International, said ing table,” said Radhya U.N. mission in Yemen.
in a joint statement the Al-Mutwakel, chairperson The internationally recog-
Houthi blockade of Taiz of Mwatana for Human nized government, mean-
has severely restricted free- Rights. while, said a Houthi attack
dom of movement and im- Reopening the roads of Taiz overnight on the Dhabab
peded the flow of essential and other provinces are area, east of Taiz city,
goods, medicine and hu- part of the U.N.-brokered killed at least 10 troops and
manitarian aid to the city’s truce between the Houthis wounded seven others,
residents. and the internationally according to a statement
“Houthi restrictions have recognized government, carried by the official SABA
forced civilians to use dan- which initially took effect in news agency.
gerous and poorly main- early April and was extend- It said government troops
tained mountain roads that Yemenis carry relief supplies as they walk along a path after ed twice, the second time repelled the Houthi offen-
are the only connection Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, besiege the city of Taiz, Yemen, until early October. Both sive, killing at least 23 at-
between Taiz city’s be- Jan. 17, 2016. sides reported violations of tacking rebels and wound-
sieged population and the Associated Press the cease-fire but the truce ing around 30 more.q