WANA (Sep 09) – Iran’s Representative to International Organizations in Vienna has strongly criticized a new IAEA Board of Governors resolution, calling it politically motivated, legally flawed, and damaging to international diplomacy.

 

Addressing the Board of Governors on Wednesday before the vote on the draft submitted by the U.S. and E3 (UK, France, and Germany), Reza Najafi stated that the document was a political tool rather than a technical assessment. He asserted that the text distorted legal standards to exert political pressure and falsely claimed Iranian non-compliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.

 

Najafi explained that establishing non-compliance under Article XII.C of the IAEA Statute required credible evidence of violations, which the Director General’s report failed to show, as the IAEA had never verified any diversion of nuclear material. He noted that the draft ignored previous IAEA assessments—including the 2015 closure of past issues—as well as aggressions by the U.S. and Israel, emphasizing that the agency’s strictly technical mandate must not be used to push national agendas.

 

Describing the measure as rewarding the aggressor and punishing the victim, Najafi rejected claims that its sponsors sought a diplomatic solution. He stated that coercion and threats could not lead to real diplomacy, warning that adopting such an unfair resolution would undermine trust, non-proliferation efforts, and the IAEA’s credibility.

 

Regarding safeguards commitments, Najafi clarified that Iran had neither suspended nor terminated its obligations, but was simply unable to fully implement them under the current conditions.

 

He affirmed that Tehran would continue cooperating with the IAEA as far as circumstances allowed, provided the safety of its people, facilities, and inspectors remained uncompromised.

 

The resolution was adopted on Wednesday with 23 votes in favor, 3 against, and 8 abstentions, with one member state lacking voting rights.