Iran accuses U.S. of blocking IAEA resolution and blames UN watchdog of double standards

Iran has accused a U.S. delegation in Vienna of threatening the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of cutting off financial support if a draft resolution tabled by Tehran is passed. This resolution condemns the military attacks on nuclear sites in June.

The comments were made by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) 

“Unfortunately, in the first step, the Americans tried to carry out a confrontation accompanied by threats directed at other countries,” he said after arriving in the Austrian capital to participate in the United Nations nuclear watchdog 69th General Conference.

“They even threatened the agency that they would cut off aid to this institution. In other words, it can be seen that their aid is essentially provided with biased objectives and if their goals are not met, they will cut it off,” the AEOI statement said.

The draft resolution has been proposed by Iran after its major nuclear facilities under IAEA’s safeguards were attacked by Israel and U.S. warplanes during the 12-day war in June.

Iran retaliated by ceasing its mediated nuclear negotiations with the United States and suspended cooperation with the IAEA for its failure to condemn the attacks including the inspection, criticizing the agency for a resolution on its non-compliance which Tehran said served as pretext to bomb its nuclear facilities.

Last week, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi signed a framework deal in the Egyptian capital on facilitating the agency’s access to Iran nuclear sites.

Araghchi warned that validity of the Cairo agreement is conditional on “no hostile action” against Iran, including re-imposition of UN sanctions, otherwise Tehran would regard the document as “terminated”.

Iran’s National Supreme Security Council (SNSC) has endorsed the Tehran-IAEA cooperation modality agreement in a statement, following the criticism from a section of the parliamentarians saying that the Parliament’s legislation on suspension of ties with the UN watchdog was violated by Araghchi.

“The text of these arrangements was reviewed by the Nuclear Committee of the Supreme National Security Council, and what has been signed is essentially the same as what was approved by that committee,” it said in a statement on Sunday.

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