Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghai announced today that Iran will take retaliatory steps in connection with the “anti-Iranian resolution“ approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), IRNA reported, BTA reports.
In his statement, Baghai described the document as a blatant distortion of the role of an international institution in order to serve the interests of the United States and the three European countries involved in the nuclear issue. According to him, the adoption of the resolution is “completely irresponsible and unjustified”, and the principled rules and established mechanisms of the IAEA and the UN Security Council were ignored in the process.
He stressed that such actions undermine the Agency's independence and reduce confidence in its impartiality, turning it into an instrument for political pressure on certain member states. According to him, the text does not even take into account the factors that led to the current situation.
Bagai emphasized that the resolution, as well as the statements of the US and the three European countries, lacks recognition of the key circumstance - the attacks by the Israeli regime and Washington against Iranian nuclear facilities in mid-June. This, he said, constitutes an illegal act and is the direct reason for the termination of some of the joint measures between Iran and the IAEA.
According to the spokesman, the document itself has led to a split in the Governing Council, as almost half of the countries voted against or abstained. He also noted that two permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia and China, which have consistently opposed attempts to restore repealed resolutions, also voted against.
Bagaei described the resolution as legally invalid, as it builds on a strategy previously implemented by the three European countries in the Security Council, which Iran and a large part of the international community, including the permanent members in question, consider invalid.
In this regard, he announced that Iran has already informed the IAEA through an official letter that the agreement, known as the Cairo Memorandum of Understanding, reached after prolonged and good faith talks, is considered to be canceled. Tehran is also discussing other possible reactions.
Regarding the claims of the US and European countries, Baghai said they were “completely misleading and hypocritical“, as these countries have repeatedly violated their commitments and have not shown a sincere intention to resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels.
According to the spokesman, the adoption of the resolution is a sign of a refusal to seek a diplomatic solution and increasing pressure through sanctions, which makes the public assurances of these countries incompatible with their actual behavior.