Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that if the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants Tehran to resume cooperation, it must abandon its “double standards”. This was reported by Iranian state media, quoted by "Reuters", reports News.bg.
Last week, Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear regulator. In response, the IAEA announced that it had withdrawn its last inspectors from the country.
Relations between Iran and the agency have been strained since the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, claiming they were aimed at preventing the development of nuclear weapons. Tehran denies any such intentions and insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
“Iran's continued cooperation with the agency depends on it correcting its double standards on the nuclear file,“ Pezeshkian said in a telephone conversation with European Council President Antonio Costa.
He also warned: “Any repeated aggression against Iran will be met with a more decisive and regrettable response.“
Tehran accuses the IAEA of failing to condemn the US and Israeli attacks and even facilitating their actions by adopting a resolution accusing Iran of violating its non-proliferation commitments.
“Failure to comply with the principle of impartiality in reporting is one of the examples that undermines the credibility of the IAEA,“ Pezeshkian stressed.
After the bombings, the agency's inspectors have not had access to Iran's nuclear sites. However, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that restoring inspections remains his top priority.