Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs has rejected a politically-motivated report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the nation’s peaceful nuclear program, warning of appropriate response if certain states “abuse its patience.”
Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks on Sunday after the IAEA claimed in a confidential report to member states that Iran has failed to report its nuclear activities at three undeclared locations and raised concerns about the country’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% purity.
He said the report is based on “a series of fabricated data provided by the Zionist regime” dating back to more than two decades ago.
All accusations about Iran’s past nuclear activities were terminated under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which formally endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he added.
Gharibabadi also noted that the report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog is once again raising old “unsubstantiated issues” intended for “new political exploitation against Iran.”
“Iran is neither pursuing nuclear weapons nor does it possess any undeclared nuclear materials or activities. Iran has hitherto remained committed to all of its obligations. The cost that Iran has borne has been for the sake of preserving its dignity, honor, progress, and steadfastness in the face of coercion and the hegemonic ambitions of certain powers,” he said.
“Should these states choose to abuse Iran’s patience and persist in their erroneous path, Iran will be compelled—commensurate with the evolving circumstances and actions of the other parties—to adopt and implement appropriate decisions, the responsibility, consequences, and ramifications of which shall rest entirely with those states.”
The deputy foreign minister further emphasized that the IAEA – under political pressure from certain states- has turned into a tool of pressure against the Islamic Republic.
Expressing concerns about Iran’s nuclear materials and activities is a mere pretext to fabricate a contrived sense of alarm, particularly in a region where the nuke-armed Zionist regime remains outside all instruments of weapons of mass destruction disarmament treaties, he pointed out.
“So long as a country’s nuclear activities are under the IAEA’s monitoring, there is no cause for concern.”
Reports say the IAEA’s report could serve as the basis for an anti-Iran resolution during a meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors in Vienna on June 9-13.
On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, urging him to “reflect the realities.”
He also warned that Tehran would “respond appropriately to any improper actions by European parties.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) in a joint statement said Grossi is repeating “previous biased and unfounded accusations” against Iran by relying extensively on “forged documents” provided by Israel.
