Roughly a week after its most important nuclear facilities were bombed, Iran intends to continue its nuclear program.
“As long as the Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), it must be able to exercise its rights,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghai in Tehran. “Iran’s rights as a member of this treaty are absolutely clear, including the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
Suspension of IAEA Cooperation and Accusations
During a phone call with French President Macron on Sunday evening, Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian stated that Tehran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA due to its head, Rafael Grossi’s, “destructive” behavior towards Iran. The decision by Iranian parliamentarians to suspend cooperation with the IAEA was “a natural response to the unjustified, unconstructive, and destructive behavior of the Director General” of the IAEA, Peseshkian told Macron.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghai also rejected IAEA requests to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities, stating that the government must implement the recent parliamentary decision to temporarily suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Accusations and threats against the IAEA Director General were also raised by the ultra-conservative Iranian newspaper “Kayhan.” This newspaper accused IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi of being a “spy for the Zionist regime” of Israel and called for his execution. Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, stated on Sunday that there is “no threat” against Grossi or inspectors and that inspectors in Iran are safe.
International Condemnation of Threats
Germany, France, and Great Britain condemned the threats made by the Iranian newspaper against the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi. “We call on the Iranian authorities to exercise restraint in taking steps that could end cooperation with the IAEA,” the foreign ministers of the so-called E3 group stated today.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, and British Foreign Minister David Lammy urged Iran to immediately resume full cooperation with the Atomic Energy Agency and to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors and personnel in Iran.
