Iran has warned members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors that any politically motivated move against the country could derail Tehran’s cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a post on his X account on Tuesday, following a politically-motivated report by the IAEA about the nation’s peaceful nuclear program.
“Any politically motivated action by some governments in the Board of Governors regarding two unproven alleged issues related to more than two decades ago could, despite Iran’s principled policy, pose serious problems for the full continuation of the path of cooperation between Iran and the Agency regarding Iran’s current activities,” Gharibabadi said.
“So far, Iran has not made any changes in the agency’s access based on safeguards obligations following the suspension of commitments of other parties under the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” he said, adding, “but this situation cannot continue.”
Gharibabadi further noted that he has held separate meetings with the ambassadors of the 17 member states of IAEA’s Board of Governors, and then with the ambassadors of Russia and China, and subsequently with the ambassadors of Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, and has answered the questions raised by them.
“In these meetings, I emphasized that Iran is a committed member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), implements the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and has extensive cooperation with the agency in order to fulfill its obligations under this agreement,” he said.
Gharibabadi further expressed hope that members of the IAEA’s Board of Governors adopt a constructive approach and oppose any political action that could disrupt the maintenance and expansion of cooperation between Iran and the agency.
On Sunday, 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.
Gharibabadi rejected the report, saying it is based on “a series of fabricated data provided by the Zionist regime” dating back more than two decades.
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.”
He further emphasized that the IAEA, under political pressure from certain states, has turned into a tool of pressure against the Islamic Republic.
