IAEA chief: Iran inspections like flying in heavy clouds

The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog has compared his agency’s efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear program to flying through dense clouds, warning that the situation can’t continue for much longer

GLASGOW, Scotland -- The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog has compared his agency's efforts to monitor Iran's nuclear program to flying through dense clouds, warning that the situation can't continue for much longer.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has been unable to access surveillance footage of Iranian nuclear sites, or online enrichment monitors and electronic seals since February.

Physical inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities have also been problematic even as Tehran has continued to develop new centrifuges and enrich uranium up to purity levels closer to what's required for an atomic weapon. Western nations fear Iran could be developing the skills and know-how to build an atomic bomb, though Tehran denies any such ambitions.

“I would say we are flying in a heavily clouded sky," IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said of his agency's ability to perform its monitoring function in Iran. "So we are flying and we can continue in this way, but not for too long.”