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Head of UN nuclear watchdog under 24/7 armed guard after Iranian death threats
Iranian officials blame the agency’s chief for the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June
August 27, 2025 13:02
Iranian officials blame the agency’s chief for the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June
August 27, 2025 13:02The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is reportedly receiving 24/7 protection by armed Austrian security units following death threats from Iran.
Tehran apparently blames Grossi's report on Iranian nuclear activity for the Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites in June. Now, the regime is directly threatening him, with the head of its National Security Council, Ali Larijani, saying: “When the war ends, we are going to deal with Grossi.”
As well as officials calling for Grossi to be "[dealt] with, the country's media is also calling for his assassination. Ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper has claimed that Grossi is an Israeli spy and called for him to be detained and executed.
The IAEA report written by Grossi on May 31, a few weeks before the first Israeli strike. The report detailed that, due to Iran's failure to respond to questions regarding the nature of its nuclear programme, it could not ensure its purpose was energy generation rather than militarisation.
Iran reportedly believes Grossi was acting as a puppet for Israel by portraying the nuclear programme as dangerous, giving Jerusalem the impetus to strike.
Grossi is being protected by Austria’s Cobra special services unit, the unit assigned to protect the high-ranking political officials from direct threats, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Fredrik Dahl, an IAEA spokesman, said: “We can confirm that Austria provided a Cobra unit but we cannot confirm where the specific threat came from.”
The news comes just as IAEA nuclear inspectors have been permitted to enter Iran again for the first time since the outbreak of war with Israel.
Tehran suspended cooperation with the agency at time of the attacks, but relations between the two sides now appear to have thawed.
Grossi told Fox News: “Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart.
“When it comes to Iran, as you know, there are many facilities. Some were attacked, some were not.
“So we are discussing what kind of… practical modalities can be implemented in order to facilitate the restart of our work there.”
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