Tehran’s standoff with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has entered a new height after Iran’s mission in Vienna slammed a joint U.S.-E3 draft resolution.
It also rejected the IAEA chief’s remarks about the United Nations agency being “completely blind” for over a year regarding access to Iran’s nuclear activities, with Tehran calling the comment “meaningless.”
The IAEA’s Board of Governors resumed its quarterly meetings on Monday (7 September) in Vienna, however, Tehran and the agency are again at loggerheads over Iran’s strict legislation banning IAEA inspectors to visit the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites bombed in 2025 and 2026 by Israel and the U.S.
While Iran’s nuclear programme is on the agenda, a joint move by the U.S. and the European troika of UK, France and Germany to table a draft resolution has further inflamed the standoff.
Iran maintains it's nuclear facilities are for peaceful purposes.
The Iranian delegation said that the strikes on its nuclear sites had "violated the UN Charter and IAEA Statute and had undermined the agency’s legal framework and nuclear safety principles."
The delegation referred to the attacks as irresponsible, warning of "potential consequences of normalising such attacks", according to state IRNA news agency.
The delegation called on the IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, to urge the U.S. and Israel to halt the attacks and threats, according to the WANA news agency.
“These steps were necessary to create conditions to implement safeguards in the country rather than trying to implement IAEA safeguards unconditionally under the current situation,” the mission said in a post on X.
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also dismissed the U.S.-E3 draft resolution as “meaningless, illogical, and illegal”, saying Iran is ready to respond if the measure is passed at the ongoing IAEA board meeting in Vienna.
Tehran argues that a similar move in 2025 paved the way for the Israeli-U.S. war against Iran in February 2026. Tehran defended its restrictions on the agency's inspectors and heavily criticised the IAEA Chief.
Read more:
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad sayin...
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port o...
Saudi Arabia is opening up to more international travellers as tourism expands beyond religious travel. In Riyadh, historic landmarks stand alongsi...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks drew the U.S. into Afghanistan, the Taliban is seeking a new relationship with Washington built on diplomacy, investment and trade, despite deep divisions between the former enemies.
Uzbekistan plans to introduce a new Heritage Impact Assessment system to shield historic cities and cultural heritage sites from the potential impact of construction and infrastructure development. Digital tools will also be used to manage tourist numbers and limit visitors where necessary.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening its partnership with the Gates Foundation, with talks spanning polio eradication, health, financial inclusion and digital development.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Georgia’s top security official has held face-to-face talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart in China, with both sides pledging to deepen intelligence cooperation amid growing global security challenges.
More than 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated last week, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday, warning that the number is rising “by the hour”.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment