Iran’s president said on Wednesday that a “counterproductive” stand by the U.N. atomic watchdog might impede talks on reviving Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers after the agency accused Tehran of hindering an inquiry into its past nuclear activities.
“Iran’s serious co-operation with the IAEA shows its will toward transparency in its nuclear activities,” President Ebrahim Raisi said in a phone call with European Council President Charles Michel, according to Iranian state media. “Naturally, in the event of a counterproductive approach at the IAEA, it would not make sense to expect Iran to react constructively. Counterproductive measures are naturally disruptive to the negotiation path also,” Raisi said.
Western diplomats have said that a decision on how to respond to the reports has yet to be reached. When asked on Wednesday, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne Claire Legendre criticized Iran’s efforts to develop its nuclear program, including activities she said did not have a credible civilian justification.
In 2018 then-President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 deal, under which Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions.
IAEA is a Western donkey.