IAEA calls 'emergency meeting' after US strikes on Iran
The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has announced an "emergency meeting" at the organisation's headquarters in Vienna for Monday after the US struck Iranian nuclear sites.
After US President Donald Trump decided to join Israel's campaign against Tehran's atomic programme, the United States on Sunday bombarded three nuclear sites in Iran, including a uranium-enriching facility at Fordo located 90 metres (295 feet) underground.
"In light of the urgent situation in Iran, I am convening an emergency meeting of the @IAEAorg Board of Governors for tomorrow," Rafael Grossi wrote on X on Sunday.
The meeting will start at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) at the agency's Vienna headquarters.
Trump said the US air strikes, which he said were aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb -- though Tehran fiercely denies wanting to do so -- "totally obliterated" the Islamic republic's main atomic sites.
Speaking to American broadcaster CNN, Grossi said that there were clear signs of the strikes at Fordo, citing satellite images and the IAEA's understanding of the underground facility, which UN inspectors regularly visit.
However he said it was too early to judge the extent of the damage.
At Natanz, by contrast, the Israeli and US strikes had clearly destroyed the above-ground portion of the facility, he added.
Grossi said he hoped the IAEA's inspectors could return to the Fordo site as soon as possible to assess the extent of the damage.
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