The United Nations Secretary General and the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have called for full access to Iran’s nuclear facilities to account for the stockpiles of uranium that are a central issue in the ongoing war between the United States-backed Israel and Iran.

Both Antonio Guterres and Rafael Grossi were addressing the emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York.

Both call for continued diplomacy and negotiations, while Grossi said IAEA inspectors were in Iran and needed to be allowed to do their job, requiring a cessation of hostilities for his inspectors to establish the facts.

“Allow the IAEA inspectors, the guardians of the NPT, to go back to Iran’s nuclear sites and account for the stockpiles of uranium, including, most importantly, the 400 kilograms of enriched uranium at 60%. Any agreement, any arrangement, will have as a prerequisite the establishment of the facts on the ground. This can be done only through IAEA inspections. IAEA inspectors are in Iran, and they must do their job.”

Meanwhile, Grossi has reiterated the agency’s long-standing resolutions that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place.

“Armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked. I therefore, again call on maximum restraint, military escalation threatens lives and delays the diplomatic solution for the long term, assurance that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.”

UN Secretary General Guterres briefs the Security Council on US strikes against Iran: