WANA (Sep 14) – The Trump administration has pressured Austria into denying entry to Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), preventing him from addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference today, according to a U.S. official cited by Bloomberg.

 

Eslami, who also serves as Iran’s Vice President for Nuclear Affairs, was scheduled to speak on Monday at the opening of the UN nuclear watchdog’s 70th General Conference in Vienna. Iranian media had previously reported that he had departed Tehran for the Austrian capital to attend the summit.

 

When contacted by Bloomberg, an Austrian government spokesperson referred inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which did not respond to requests for comment.

 

According to the U.S. official, Eslami was barred from entering Austria after a requested UN sanctions waiver—which would have permitted his travel—was rejected following intense pressure from Washington.

 

Following the blockade of Eslami’s scheduled address, a lower-level Iranian delegate is expected to deliver remarks later this week instead.

 

The Bloomberg report indicated that Washington moved to block Eslami to avoid granting legitimacy to Tehran amid the administration’s ongoing conflict with Iran—a campaign launched under the pretext of countering Iran’s nuclear development, which has ultimately failed to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear capabilities despite claims by President Donald Trump.

 

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is scheduled to address the conference and reiterate Washington’s stance, emphasizing that “Iran must never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.” The move follows a resolution against Iran passed by the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday, September 9.

 

In response, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that weaponizing the IAEA to build political pressure and justify military aggression against Iran damages the agency’s standing, squandering its most valuable asset as an impartial and independent authority.