The Iranian foreign minister has rebuked the US and European troika’s provocative move to initiate an anti-Iran resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors, warning that any unwise decision by the 35-member panel will trigger Tehran’s appropriate response.
Abbas Araghchi raised the alarm in a telephone conversation with his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday as the two discussed a range of bilateral, regional and international issues.
Pointing to Iran’s negotiations with the US on its nuclear program, the foreign minister underscored Tehran’s determination to uphold the legitimate and inalienable rights of Iranian people to enjoy peaceful nuclear energy, including the right to enrichment.
Araghchi also censured the provocative and improper move by the US and the European countries of France, Germany and the UK to draft a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors amid the indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.
“Any ill-advised and destructive decision by the Board of Governors against Iran will be met with an appropriate response on the part of Iran, and the responsibility for its consequences lies with the parties that instrumentalize and politicize the agency,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
Araghchi said the Islamic Republic pursues a principled stance, based on Islamic teachings, to never pursue nuclear weapons, adding, “However, we will not back down from the Iranian nation’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
Praising Japan’s balanced stance in its foreign policies, Araghchi noted, “We hope to see an appropriate position and action from Japan and other member states of the Board of Governors towards strengthening the path of dialogue and interaction.”
Iwaya, for his part, welcomed the continuation of negotiations between Iran and the US, stressing the Islamic Republic’s legitimate right to enjoy nuclear energy for peaceful activities.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also announced on Tuesday that Tehran had prepared a raft of proportionate measures to be taken if the IAEA adopts an anti-Iranian resolution.
In its latest report, the IAEA claimed that Iran has sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.
The agency said that as of May 17, Iran possesses an estimated 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 percent, marking an increase of 133.8 kilograms since the previous report in February.
Iran has denounced as “political” and unbalanced the report by the United Nations nuclear agency, which it said has been drafted under European pressure.
Since April 12, Iran and the United States have held five rounds of indirect talks, mediated by Oman, on a replacement for the 2015 nuclear deal, which was derailed by the American withdrawal in 2018.
However, the talks have faced an obstacle over the US demand for Iran to stop enriching uranium under any new deal.
The next round of talks is planned to be held in Muscat on June 15.
