TEHRAN -- Iran said Monday it is taking retaliatory measures against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over a “politically-motivated” resolution drafted by the U.S. and its European allies.
The United States, Britain, France and Germany had on Thursday brought the motion adopted by the UN agency – the second of its kind within six months.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced a response in comments Sunday night.
“In response to the recent action of three European countries and the United States in the adoption of a resolution against Iran, some initial measures have been decided by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran,” he said.
“The implementation of these measures was realized today in the presence of IAEA inspectors in the Natanz and Fordo enrichment complexes,” he added, without specifying what the measures were.
He also hinted at the likelihood that the IAEA delegation’s next visit to Iran would be canceled.
“The IAEA delegation’s trip to Tehran was approved in the framework of the deal with the agency,” Kanaani said, adding however that “Iran’s next steps will be taken in accordance with the new conditions.”
He nonetheless also said that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is always prepared to respond in the appropriate manner to the actions of Western parties when they return to their commitments.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian had on Saturday condemned the resolution, accusing the four countries of trying to exert “maximum pressure” on Tehran amid two months of nationwide protests in the Islamic Republic.
Kanaani on Monday said “the politically-motivated resolution was issued while Iran has the most transparent peaceful nuclear program” in terms of the number of facilities under the supervision of the IAEA compared to other countries and the number of inspections its nuclear activities have undergone by the IAEA.
He stressed that the resolution was enforced after the U.S. and the three European countries exerted pressure on the agency’s Board of Governors.
Kanaani also condemned a resolution approved by the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic, stressing that “the politicizing of the human rights issue is not constructive at all”.
He further said the resolution that was proposed by certain Western countries, including Germany, is politically-motivated.
Noting that German has a dark history of violating human rights, the spokesman said, “The German government is not in a position to take such actions against independent countries, including Iran.”
The General Assembly’s Third Committee on Wednesday approved the draft resolution titled “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran” by a vote of 80 in favor to 28 against, with 68 abstentions.
The draft resolution was proposed over claims of a violent “crackdown” on protests in Iran. Since mid-September, Iran has been rocked by riots after the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 22-year-old fainted at a police station in Tehran and was pronounced dead three days later in hospital.
An official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini’s death was caused by illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.
Rioters went on rampage in the country, brutally attacking security officers and causing massive damage to public property as Western powers, especially the United States, provided support.