Iran says new IAEA resolution will not change safeguards status

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, says that a new anti-Iran resolution being prepared at the IAEA Board of Governors will not change the country’s safeguards status. He made these comments on Saturday, ahead of the Board meeting scheduled for November 19–21 in Vienna.

The United States, along with Britain, France, and Germany — known together as the E3 — plan to present a resolution against Iran over its cooperation with the IAEA. Najafi said these countries are once again trying to use international institutions to push their “unreasonable” and “coercive” policies on Iran.

He added that pressuring IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to base reports on expired UN Security Council resolutions is illegal and will only make the situation more complicated. According to Najafi, this approach damages diplomacy instead of helping it.

Najafi also said the US and E3 attempts will not change Iran’s current safeguards status, which has already been affected by the 12-day US-Israeli conflict with Iran in June. He called on all Board member states to oppose what he described as harmful and one-sided actions by the US and Europe.

The Iranian envoy reminded that Iran has the right to respond if any country takes unlawful actions against it.

On June 25, one day after Iran’s retaliatory strikes ended the 12-day conflict, Iran’s parliament voted to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA. Lawmakers said they made this decision because previous IAEA resolutions, including one from June 12, had created conditions that led to Israeli attacks.

Iran restarted talks with the IAEA in September, but later said that the decision by Britain, France, and Germany to activate the UN snapback mechanism after the Cairo agreement added “new conditions,” making the previous framework invalid.

Meanwhile, the IAEA has not criticized the E3’s actions and continues to urge Iran to meet its safeguards obligations in all situations.

Read More: Iraq’s Four-Step Government Formation Process After Elections