IAEA chief: Iran only cooperating with a ‘fraction’ of nuke inspection

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on Monday told the agency’s Board of Governors that Iran is only cooperating with a “fraction” of the nuclear inspection requirements he expected them to comply with under a deal between the sides made on March 4.

After detailing to the board some positive steps Iran had made in restoring some aspects of the agency’s nuclear monitoring, he said, “But this is a fraction of what we envisaged, and what needs to happen now is a sustained and uninterrupted process that leads to all the commitments contained in the Joint Statement being fulfilled without further delay.”

Grossi said that “the Agency has not been able to perform JCPOA verification and monitoring activities in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate [all materials related to nuclear weapons] for two and one quarter years, including the period after June 2022 when no surveillance and monitoring equipment related to [the] JCPOA was installed and operating.”

Next, he said that a partially classified report which he presented to the board “indicates that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has risen by over a quarter in three months. This includes its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 20% U-235, which is approaching half a ton, and its stockpile of high enriched uranium – enriched up to 60% U-235 – which is well over 100 kg.

of that, so, number one, there’s a credible military option, although diplomacy is the preferred course of action to address Iran’s nuclear program.”

Stroul said the military cooperation between the US and Israel is vital. “We are working every day to deepen our military cooperation,” she said. “That includes exercises and intelligence sharing.”

She pointed out that last January, the US and Israel participated in the largest bilateral military exercise in the history of the two militaries.

“Over 7,000 military personnel participated in the exercise,” Stroul said. “Part of this is to make sure that in an emergency the US and Israel can work together and to ensure that both our allies and adversaries in the region are taking note of the critical work we are doing together to be prepared should military force be required.”

SPEAKING ON other matters at the conference, Gantz described Israel’s current domestic challenge as “transforming from a melting pot to a nation of tribes.”

“This is not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “Our mission, however, is to ensure that our tribes live side by side, serve the needs of the country and continue building Israel together.

Israel will continue to survive “as long as Israel remains as it was designed 75 years ago, to be Jewish and democratic.”

Gantz called to “recreate a sense of national decency,” and “to fairly distribute resources according to the needs of individual sectors and national needs, not according to political parties.

Referring to this government’s increased benefits for full-time yeshiva students and schools that do not teach core curriculum subjects, Gantz said: “We need all parts of society to contribute to our economy and support its development.”

At Sunday’s gala, Gantz said that “one cannot ignore what is going on with protests against what this government calls judicial reform. What we currently see in Israeli society is a wake-up call. Israeli society is fighting for its future image, that Israel should stay Jewish, and strongly democratic, should respect tradition but be a liberal country with an open mind.”

He warned that governments must have checks on their powers.

“I want to be prime minister of Israel, but I want limits on my government. I want an open media,” he said.

Gantz also expressed concern that young American Jews feel less connected to Israel, and

called to “fortify bridges to connect with the tribes of the Diaspora.”

Still, the former defense minister was optimistic about Israel, “a dynamic society, a resilient economy… a state that is truly a unicorn.

“Every single day, Israelis deliver on the promise to ensure never again will we be dependent on the graces of others,” he said. “After 2000 years in exile, we are not simply free, we are thriving.”

Fewer than 50 demonstrators against the government’s judicial overhaul plans, most of whom appeared to be retirees, gathered outside Gotham Hall in Midtown Manhattan, where the conference was held. Some wore shirts saying “Zionism = democracy” and “Saving Israeli Democracy.” Others held signs with messages such as “without the High Court of Justice there is no equality,” and “US Jews want a Democratic Israel” with crossed-out photos of cabinet ministers scheduled to speak at the event.

Conference attendees were greeted inside with a sign asking them to behave respectfully. Most cabinet ministers were able to speak uninterrupted, but when Economy Minister Nir Barkat took the stage, fewer than 10 people stood up and shouted “shame.” They were escorted out of the hall within a few minutes.

At least two protesters opposed to the government’s judicial overhaul plans were blocked from entering the conference. A video clip on social media showed New York-based Israeli activists Shany Granot-Lubaton and her husband Omer being forcibly evicted from the entrance by security guards.

The two said they had tickets to the conference but were disinvited due to their political opinions.

In the hall, a repurposed bank built in the neoclassical style featuring mock Roman columns and an ornate domed ceiling, attendees sat around round tables, networking and listening to high-profile speakers talk about a broad range of topics from diplomacy to defense, aviation, sports and more.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. • may still be able to change the committee’s makeup so that it has a majority. This is arguably the most contentious part of the the judicial overhaul proposals, as the opposition has argued that it will politicize the courts.

National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir put forward MK Yizhak Kroyzer from his party as the coalition’s candidate for the committee. Otzma Yehudit was promised

a spot on the committee in its coalition agreements with Likud. Ben-Gvir that he had decided to also propose Otzma Yehduit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, to serve as a second option if the opposition names a male candidate, as the law requires one of the Knesset’s two committee representatives to be a woman.

The announcement came 40 minutes after the Likud announced that no decisions had been made regarding the committee, and that they would be made next week. Netanyahu reportedly met earlier in the day with Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Shas MK Arye Deri to discuss whether the coalition should occupy both spots on the committee. The prime minister’s office then issued a statement saying that any MK who wished could put forward their candidacy, and may remove it by next Wednesday. The prime minister’s office added that the coalition was acting “in every way possible” to reach an agreement with the opposition on the issue.

Likud MK Tally Gotliv put forward her candidacy to serve on the committee, reportedly without the party’s consent. Unlike most Likud MKs, Gotliv has voiced her opposition to some Likud policies since joining the Knesset in November. The vote for committee members is anonymous and, therefore, if she does not withdraw her candidacy, there is no way to ensure that coalition MKs will vote for an approved candidate, or for whoever the opposition puts forward. This could complicate any agreements within the coalition and between the coalition and opposition over the committee’s Knesset members.

YNET REPORTED on Monday that President Isaac Herzog and his staff were pressuring negotiators from both sides to announce a first agreement on the proposed reforms as pressure grows ahead of the Judicial Selection Committee vote.

The President’s Residence has denied the report, however.

“There are no agreements, there is a struggle to create agreements. The Office of the President once again recommends not to rely on tendentious and one-sided leaks. When agreements are reached, they will be presented to the public fully and transparently,” the office said in response to a query.

According to Maariv, one proposal was for the opposition negotiating teams that represent Yesh Atid and National Unity to announce their agreement to relatively minor laws, in exchange for a promise by the coalition not to legislate anything one-sidedly for the rest of the current Knesset’s term.

The first law, known as the “legal advisers law,” is one that would enable ministers

to receive their own legal representation if their actions or policies are challenged in court and the Attorney-General supports the challengers, and not the minister. The second law would define and reduce the cases in which the High Court of Justice may use “extreme unreasonableness” as a basis to strike down government decisions.

Yesh Atid stressed in a statement on Sunday that “any agreements that will or will not be made will be given only within the framework of general agreement of all the issues, and a commitment to ending the debates on Israel’s system of governance,” the party said.

The “National Protest Leadership” condemned the apparent “emerging agreement,” calling it a “threat to Israeli democracy.”

“If the reports are indeed true, this so-called ‘compromise’ agreement amounts to no more than a surrender that compromises the very essence of Israeli democracy in exchange for hollow promises from Netanyahu. This is an unacceptable betrayal of the trust and aspirations of the millions who have actively voiced their concerns,” the protest leaders said in a statement.

“The proposed agreement reflects Netanyahu’s calculated strategy of eroding the judicial review process and undermining the role of the attorney-general, thereby jeopardizing the foundations of our democracy. It is alarming that Netanyahu’s own coalition partners have openly labeled him a liar, and yet, Opposition Leader Lapid and MK Benny Gantz seem willing to trust him.

“The millions of people who have joined the protests over the past five months did not rally for a surrender agreement. We reiterate that Lapid, Gantz and Herzog do not have a mandate to sign away our democratic values. If they choose to proceed with such a surrender, they will quickly find themselves rendered irrelevant, as the public’s trust in their leadership crumbles. They must remember that they have no authority to submit to those who seek to transform Israel into a dictatorship,” the protest leaders said.

They called on protesters to demonstrate outside of the President’s Residence on Friday.

Leaders of the opposition parties continued to spar on Monday over who should be the agreed candidate to sit on the Judicial Selection Committee.

Yesh Atid, National Unity and Labor have all offered candidates – MK Karin Elharrar, MK Pnina-Tamano Shata and MK Efrat Rayten, respectively.

Asked about the matter at a press conference ahead of his party’s weekly meeting, Lapid said that he was having trouble communicating with Labor since there were “different voices” speaking for the party. This

was a jab at the existing tensions within Labor, since under party leader MK Merav Michaeli it is polling consistently below the electoral threshold.

However, Lapid stressed the importance of presenting a single candidate in order not to split the opposition’s vote, and Michaeli agreed. She responded to Lapid by saying that Labor was a democracy and different voices were welcome – an implied criticism of Lapid, whose party does not hold primary elections.

Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman criticized Gantz and Lapid for continuing to participate in the talks at the President’s Residence, arguing that any deal would give legitimization to Netanyahu’s government and the opposition should instead focus on making efforts to topple it.

“Stop with this game. You are simply harming our ability to destabilize Netanyahu’s tenure, and you are also harming the chance not only to talk but also to found a constitution in the future,” Liberman said.

Netanyahu on Monday convened a new ministerial committee intended to deal with the high cost of living, in which he said that there were “geological levels of revealed and concealed monopolies and all kinds of other barriers to competition,” and that his impression was that recently, “importers and retailers have simply lost their brakes.”

The prime minister asked that the professional echelon submit practical steps for the struggle within two weeks.

Lapid criticized the formation of the new committee, arguing that such a committee already existed – the statutory Socio-Economic Cabinet – that the prime minister also leads.

According to protocol, the Socio-Economic Cabinet, like the new committee, includes the prime minister, finance minister, economy minister, energy minister, Negev and Galilee minister and others, all of whom are part of the new committee as well.

“I can continue because it is great material for a skit by the [satirical comedy show] Eretz Nehederet. But it is not funny, it is sad,” the opposition leader said. Instead, the government should shut down “10 unnecessary ministries,” continue to open up the food and toiletries markets to competition, and solve a struggle between Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur over who is responsible for the governmental Labor Branch, in order to enable new programs for employment of haredi men and Israeli-Arab women to move forward.

In addition, all the government needed to do was announce that it was dumping its judicial reform, Lapid said. This would bring back stability, and with it, investments in hi-tech, he added.