Rescuers worked through the night on Friday to save hundreds of Venezuelans trapped in rubble and find thousands more missing after two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history smashed areas in and around the capital Caracas. The government said 235 dead had been taken to medical centers but did not give a total casualty estimate from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors that struck about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas on Wednesday. A website created to track missing people and shared by opposition leaders from the politically polarized nation listed more than 49,600 people as unaccounted for, while the US Geological Survey predicted more than 10,000 deaths. Read: Thousands feared dead in Venezuela quakes Spain's foreign ministry said three of its nationals had died, four were trapped under rubble and another 99 were unaccounted for. With foreign rescue teams arriving, firefighters, soldiers and...
The interim US-Iran peace accord gives UN nuclear inspectors access to Iran, the watchdog's top official said on Friday, after Tehran indicated key sites would remain off-limits until a final deal with Washington was reached and sanctions lifted.
The US and Iran last week signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for 60 days of talks to resolve thornier issues, including those related to Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on Wednesday there were no plans to grant access to inspectors.
But International Atomic Energy Agency boss Rafael Grossi said on Friday that inspections had to happen.
"There is an agreement, and to comply with that agreement, the IAEA will have to have access and inspect," he told a press conference in Japan. "We hope to be there soon."
Read: UN halts escort of ships through Hormuz after vessel comes under attack
UN inspectors have already held an initial exchange with Iranian officials to discuss technical issues, Grossi said. The first goal of any visit to Iran would be to check whether IAEA seals on previously inspected material remained intact and whether any material was missing, he said.
"Intentions are not enough. We have to have a very strong verification system in place," he said.
Iran has not informed the watchdog how much of its enriched uranium survived US and Israeli attacks or where it is.
The IAEA estimates Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% before the conflict began. If enriched further, that would be enough for 10 nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick.
from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/XguIMG1
from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/XguIMG1
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