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Politics
2023-June-8  15:35

Iran's Envoy Calls on E3 to Put Aside ‘Provocative, Unconstructive’ Attitudes

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohsen Naziri Asl once again underlined that his country's nuclear activities, including uranium enrichment at various levels, are solely for peaceful purposes, and further urged the European governments to refrain from “provocative and unconstructive" approaches towards Tehran's nuclear program.

He made the statement at a session of the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday while explaining Iran’s principled stance regarding the 2015 nuclear deal, calling on the European countries to avoid provocative and unconstructive approachs towards Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Referring to Iran's constructive measures in cooperation with the IAEA since the previous Board of Governors’ meeting in March, Naziri Asl said expectations from Iran were “unreasonable”, and “illogical".

“Iran's nuclear activities, including [uranium] enrichment at various levels, are completely peaceful and in accordance with the Iranian people’s rights based on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and are under the supervision and verification of IAEA’s safeguards,” the top diplomat underscored.

Touching upon the United States’ desire to return to the landmark agreement and its subsequent negotiations, he stated that despite the arduous negotiations that lasted for more than 18 months, "mainly due to the lack of American political will and determination", the parties could not bring the talks to a conclusion.

The envoy added the US government has recently stated on multiple occasions that the revival of the accord is “not on the agenda for months”, expressing concern that some parties have turned a blind eye to the “irresponsible attitude”, and are even aligning with it.

“The measure shows that miscalculations and minor political considerations are dominating the revival of an agreement that the international community has invested for years to achieve,” he continued.

Iran’s permanent representative at the United Nations office in Vienna urged the European governments to refrain from provocative and unconstructive attitudes, adopt good faith, and continue working in a process that leads to the resolution of “shared concerns".

“It is a matter of serious concern that despite Iran’s extensive cooperation with the UN nuclear agency, the European Union, especially Germany, Britain and France, continue to resort to outdated tactics and play a dirty game with political motivation to target Iran's ongoing cooperation with the IAEA,” Naziri Asl said.

“The practical cooperation of Europe with the illegal unilateral coercive measures of the United States and the confiscation of Iranian assets is in complete contradiction to the verbal support of the JCPOA,” he added, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The ambassador's remarks come as IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has reaffirmed that progress has been made in implementing the joint statement between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog about safeguard issues.

Iran has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the country’s nuclear sites, but calls the UN nuclear agency's policies unconstructive and destructive. Tehran denies all accusations levelled by the West over the existence of undeclared nuclear activities or material in Iran. It describes the move by the US and its allies as a propaganda campaign against Tehran's peaceful nuclear program.

In early March, Grossi visited Iran and held meetings with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami, President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

At the end of the Grossi's trip, Tehran and the nuclear watchdog issued a joint statement, and agreed to continue their interactions in a spirit of collaboration and in full conformity with the competencies of the IAEA and the rights and obligations of Iran.

The AEOI chief underlined at that time that Iran considers the Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, the NPT as well as strategic law adopted by the Iranian parliament as the basis for its nuclear activities, but underscored that the UN nuclear watchdog's supervisions should be within Tehran's frameworks and reservations.

Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA with six world powers. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Negotiations kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of removing anti-Iran sanctions and examining the United States’ seriousness in rejoining the agreement.

The talks, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington’s insistence on not removing all the sanctions and its failure to offer necessary guarantees that it will not abandon the deal again.

 

 

 

 

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