AEOI Chief: No Undeclared Nuke Activities in Iran, Accusations Based on “Israeli” Misinformation

By Staff, Agencies

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran [AEOI] Mohammad Eslami has strongly rejected all accusations, including the UN nuclear watchdog’s allegations, about the existence of undeclared nuclear activities or material in Iran.

Eslami made the remark in an address to the 66^th Regular Session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] in Vienna on Monday.

“There are no undeclared nuclear activities or material in Iran. All accusations are merely based on fake and incorrect information provided by the usurping regime of ‘Israel’,” Iran’s nuclear chief said.

He added, “Iran has always supported complete and impartial implementation of the [nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] and the Safeguards Agreements, and its track records in cooperation with the Agency are impeccable.”

Eslami then addressed the IAEA, saying the Islamic Republic expects the UN nuclear watchdog to be professional, impartial and independent in its activities, including reporting, inspections and verification.

“Iran expects the IAEA to respect its own credit and does not allow certain elements to bring up obsolete accusations, whose case was closed in 2015, by resorting to various excuses,” Iran’s nuclear chief said.

He added, “We believe the Agency must avoid relying on unfounded information obtained through unreliable sources. Therefore, the Agency is expected to maintain its independence, impartiality and professionalism.”

The AEOI chief also warned against the "dangerous" repercussions of the “Israeli” regime's acts of sabotage against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities and its assassination of Iranian scientists.

"These hostile measures not only aim to destroy Iran's nuclear industry, but also to eliminate the prospect of any political solution. These desperate and criminal acts of the ‘Israeli’ regime must be met with a firm response from the Agency," Eslami said.

He noted that the apartheid “Israeli” regime has exerted pressure on the US administration to force it to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], adding that Washington's withdrawal was "a big mistake as acknowledged by the US itself."

Back in March in a meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned of the “Israeli” regime's acts of sabotage, urging the agency to maintain its independent, professional and impartial approach.

Warning about the “Israeli” entity’s moves to sow discord and create crisis, Amir Abdollahian said the IAEA must be cautious about the regime's efforts to take advantage of the agency's mechanisms to advance its plots.

Elsewhere in his address, Eslami said Iran has always been ready for negotiations and constructive interaction, emphasizing that Tehran would roll back its current remedial nuclear measures, including those related to surveillance equipment beyond the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and a robust verification system, only if illegal sanctions are removed and no baseless accusations are leveled against the country's peaceful nuclear program.

In 2019, Iran started its retaliatory remedial measures by reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal after the European parties to the deal – France, Germany and Britain – failed to fulfill their commitments to Tehran by confronting the unilateral US sanctions.

Tehran began to gradually remove a cap set in the JCPOA on its nuclear activities at bi-monthly intervals. At the time, Tehran insisted if the Iranian economy was shielded from sanctions, it would reverse its nuclear decision.