A physical inventory verification of nuclear material remaining at the Tuwaitha site in Iraq was carried out by a five-person IAEA team between 22 and 25 January pursuant to the Safeguards Agreement with Iraq in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

The Iraqi counterpart provided the necessary co-operation for the inspection team to perform its activities effectively and efficiently. The team conducted on-site measurements and other verification activities. No conclusions can be drawn on the results of the inspection until the analysis of all relevant data is completed in Vienna.

The inventory verification had the limited objective of verifying the presence of the nuclear material at the inspected location at Tuwaitha. As mentioned before it cannot serve as a substitute for the IAEA’s activities under the relevant Security Council resolutions, which are essential if the IAEA is to fulfill the mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council under those resolutions and to provide the necessary assurances sought by the Security Council. In this respect the Agency looks forward to resuming its inspection activities in Iraq under these resolutions, in particular in accordance with the Agency’s plan for ongoing monitoring and verification.