US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made allegations against Iran's nuclear program, without acknowledging his own country's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He asserted that Iran is not behaving as a "responsible actor" in its nuclear activities.
Blinken's comments, reported by Reuters, focused on Iran's decision to bar certain UN nuclear inspectors, suggesting that this indicates Tehran's lack of responsibility in its nuclear program. He mentioned efforts to engage indirectly with Iran, European partners, Russia, and China to return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal but noted that Iran did not cooperate.
However, Blinken did not mention the US's unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its subsequent "maximum pressure" policy against Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had previously reported that Iran withdrew accreditation from several inspectors, which Iran described as retaliation for political misconduct by the US, France, Germany, and Britain.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned of severe consequences if Iran does not cooperate with the agency. He condemned Iran's move to withdraw accreditation from several "most experienced" inspectors as "disproportionate and unprecedented."
The IAEA's Board of Governors, with the backing of 62 member states, issued a statement accusing Iran of non-compliance with safeguards commitments. The statement called on Iran to address outstanding safeguards issues and provide information about its new nuclear facilities.
Additionally, France, Britain, and Germany, the three European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal, issued a joint statement accusing Iran of non-compliance with the JCPOA. However, it was the United States that unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018.
Iran's representative, Kan'ani, rejected the politically motivated statements and highlighted the considerable progress made in Iran-IAEA cooperation based on a joint statement issued in March. He criticized the United States and the European parties for manipulating the UN nuclear watchdog for their own political objectives.
