TEHRAN – Iran on Monday cautioned the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to avoid miscalculations in its upcoming ordinary meeting, warning that taking advantage of the IAEA for political motivations will draw a different response from Tehran.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Monday that the next meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors will be an ordinary one, during which nobody should make any miscalculation about Iran.
He also warned that using the IAEA’s platform for political purposes will trigger a different response from Iran.
Highlighting the “technical and respectful” interaction between Iran and the UN nuclear agency, the spokesman expressed hope that no party would meddle in the cooperation.
Khatibzadeh said he has heard the news of plans for a visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran, noting that regular talks between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog have been in progress.
Asked about the prospect of the Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, the spokesperson reiterated that the negotiations must fulfill the interests of Iran under the JCPOA and the UNSC Resolution 2231 which have been repeatedly violated by the U.S.
Khatibzadeh also reminded the U.S. administration that following Trump’s mentality will only result in “maximum failure”, recommending that Washington should attend the Vienna talks with a genuine agenda and carry out the JCPOA in full.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump left the nuclear deal in 2018 and initiated a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, prompting Tehran to take remedial measures by gradually reducing its nuclear commitments under the deal.
Since April, representatives from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries – France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China – have been holding talks in Vienna aimed at revitalizing the JCPOA and bringing the U.S. back to compliance.