Vienna, Jun. 6, (dpa/GNA) – North Korea may be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) predicted in Vienna on Monday.

Observation of the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site in the north of the country pointed to the reopening of shafts, IAEA general director Rafael Grossi said.

“At the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri we have observed indications that one of the adits (entrances) has been reopened, possibly in preparation for a nuclear test. The conduct of a nuclear test would contravene UN Security Council resolutions and would be a cause for serious concern,” Grossi said.

He added that this is consistent with similar activity previous to other tests in North Korea.

The findings shared on Monday were based on regularly updated satellite imagery, he said, without specifying the time period of the observations.

The country’s nuclear programme was “a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Grossi said, calling on North Korea to comply fully with its obligations under those resolutions and to cooperate with the IAEA.

North Korea should resolve all outstanding issues, “especially those that have arisen during the absence of the agency inspectors from the country,” he added.

North Korea, which does not allow international inspectors into the country, conducted six nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site between 2006 and 2017. The IAEA, an autonomous organization within the UN system, monitors the nuclear sites with the aid of satellites.

On Sunday, North Korea responded to a joint naval exercise carried out by the US and South Korea by launching eight short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, in defiance of multiple UN resolutions prohibiting their use by Pyongyang.

The IAEA also said that Iran could have enough raw material for a nuclear weapon in a few weeks. According to Grossi, the question is no longer if Iran can make one, but when that will be the case.

“This is going to happen,” he told a news conference on Monday. He stressed, however, that it would take Iran more time to produce a nuclear weapon from uranium.

A week ago, Grossi presented a non-public report to the IAEA member states, which said that Iran is approaching a significant hurdle in the production of nuclear weapons-grade material.

The Islamic Republic has enriched 43.1 kilograms of uranium to a purity level of 60%. About 50 kilograms would be enough for a nuclear weapon if the material were enriched higher, to 90%, according to a high-ranking diplomat.

The IAEA board of governors, meeting in Vienna this week, will not only address this issue, but also Tehran’s refusal to clarify open questions about secret nuclear activities in the past.

The IAEA-Iran talks are running parallel to the currently stalled diplomatic negotiations on the restoration of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.

While new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme and the end of US sanctions have already been more or less negotiated, an agreement on Tehran’s demand to lift sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is still pending.

GNA

Vienna, Jun. 6, (dpa/GNA) – North Korea may be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) predicted in Vienna on Monday.

Observation of the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site in the north of the country pointed to the reopening of shafts, IAEA general director Rafael Grossi said.

“At the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri we have observed indications that one of the adits (entrances) has been reopened, possibly in preparation for a nuclear test. The conduct of a nuclear test would contravene UN Security Council resolutions and would be a cause for serious concern,” Grossi said.

He added that this is consistent with similar activity previous to other tests in North Korea.

The findings shared on Monday were based on regularly updated satellite imagery, he said, without specifying the time period of the observations.

The country’s nuclear programme was “a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” Grossi said, calling on North Korea to comply fully with its obligations under those resolutions and to cooperate with the IAEA.

North Korea should resolve all outstanding issues, “especially those that have arisen during the absence of the agency inspectors from the country,” he added.

North Korea, which does not allow international inspectors into the country, conducted six nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri site between 2006 and 2017. The IAEA, an autonomous organization within the UN system, monitors the nuclear sites with the aid of satellites.

On Sunday, North Korea responded to a joint naval exercise carried out by the US and South Korea by launching eight short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, in defiance of multiple UN resolutions prohibiting their use by Pyongyang.

The IAEA also said that Iran could have enough raw material for a nuclear weapon in a few weeks. According to Grossi, the question is no longer if Iran can make one, but when that will be the case.

“This is going to happen,” he told a news conference on Monday. He stressed, however, that it would take Iran more time to produce a nuclear weapon from uranium.

A week ago, Grossi presented a non-public report to the IAEA member states, which said that Iran is approaching a significant hurdle in the production of nuclear weapons-grade material.

The Islamic Republic has enriched 43.1 kilograms of uranium to a purity level of 60%. About 50 kilograms would be enough for a nuclear weapon if the material were enriched higher, to 90%, according to a high-ranking diplomat.

The IAEA board of governors, meeting in Vienna this week, will not only address this issue, but also Tehran’s refusal to clarify open questions about secret nuclear activities in the past.

The IAEA-Iran talks are running parallel to the currently stalled diplomatic negotiations on the restoration of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.

While new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme and the end of US sanctions have already been more or less negotiated, an agreement on Tehran’s demand to lift sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is still pending.

GNA