Iran has warned Britain, France, and Germany (E3) over their “malign action” of drafting a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) next week accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a “strategic mistake”.
The Europeans reportedly plan to submit the draft resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors at its next meeting on June 9, creating a window to trigger the snapback of all the UN sanctions on Tehran before the mechanism expires in October.
“After years of good cooperation with the IAEA — resulting in a resolution which shut down malign claims of a ‘possible military dimension’ (PMD) to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program — my country is once again accused of ‘non-compliance’,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X Friday.
“Instead of engaging in good faith, the E3 is opting for malign action against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors. When the E3 engaged in the same foul conduct back in 2005, the outcome in many ways was the true birth of uranium enrichment in Iran. Has the E3 truly learned nothing in the past two decades?” he added.
Araghchi said the false accusations that Iran is violating the Safeguards Agreement – on the basis of shoddy and politicized reports — are clearly designed to produce a crisis.
“Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights. Blame lies solely and fully with irresponsible actors who stop at nothing to gain relevance,” the foreign minister cautioned.
An IAEA resolution could further complicate nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. Tehran has already pledged to take decisive countermeasures should the snapback mechanism be activated.
On Monday, IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi got a dressing down in Cairo from Araghchi who reminded him of his duty to professionally carry out his statutory duties.
Araghchi said the “IAEA should not allow its credibility to be undercut by political motives and pressures from some member states”, apparently referring to the E3.
Iran has held five rounds of talks with the United States in search of a new agreement and is pressing the United States for guarantees that it will drop sanctions as a condition for a nuclear deal.
The country has vowed to keep enriching uranium “with or without a deal” on its nuclear program.
E3 leaders, on the other hand, think they must act swiftly because the snapback mechanism which they see as leverage to coerce Iran into concessions is slipping out of their hands.
