UN nuclear chief Grossi denies Iranian blame for war

The UN's nuclear inspections chief has denied blame over the Middle East air war, after Iran accused him of giving Israel an excuse to attack.

Rafael Grossi said his warnings about Iran's secretive activities "could never be conceived as a justification" for war. Mr Grossi has repeatedly said he cannot be sure that the Iranian nuclear programme is peaceful.

Israel attacked Iran last Friday in an air barrage that has killed hundreds and raised fears of a wider war. The Israeli military says it is acting to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.

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The Iranian leadership denies it is developing one. Mr Grossi's International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has built up a stockpile of enriched uranium at near-weapons grade levels, which European diplomats say can have no civilian use.

The IAEA says Iran has also blocked inspections. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Thursday that Mr Grossi's reports were "absolutely biased".

Mr Baqaei said the allegations made against Iran at the IAEA "were utilised, as a final pretext ... to wage a war of aggression on Iran and to launch an unlawful attack on our peaceful nuclear facilities".

"Misleading narratives have dire consequences, Mr Grossi, and demand accountability," he said.

Former Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif accused Mr Grossi of making "irresponsible and fallacious" claims against Iran. "He must be held accountable for his complicity in the death of innocents in Iran caused by Israeli aggression using his report as a pretext," Mr Zarif said.

Mr Grossi rejected Iran's criticism. "The role of a report by the director general of the IAEA could never be conceived as a justification for any military activity by Israel," he told Al Jazeera.

"To pretend in any way that a report by the IAEA is a green light or enabler of an attack is absolutely absurd," he said.

The IAEA has not directly accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapon. Addressing its board of governors days before Israel's attack, Mr Grossi said the agency could not determine whether Iran's activities were peaceful or not.

He called on the US and Iran to reach a nuclear deal. A pact reached in 2015 to limit Iranian uranium enrichment in return for sanctions relief fell apart after US President Donald Trump pulled out during his first term.

Mr Trump had offered a new deal after returning to the White House but warned of military action if no agreement was reached.