France, UK, Germany Scrap US-Backed Anti-Iran Plan at IAEA
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Britain, France and Germany have scrapped a US-backed plan for the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors to pass a resolution this week criticizing Iran for scaling back cooperation with it, diplomats said on Thursday.
The UN nuclear watchdog said its chief Rafael Grossi would hold a news conference at 1100 GMT, according to Reuters.
It did not give a reason, but diplomats said he told the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors that the agency plans to hold technical discussions with Iran in April.
On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani cautioned the European troika to avoid politicizing Iran’s case at the IAEA, saying the agency “is not a venue for political games”.
“Political games must be abandoned. The Agency is a place for technical work,” the Iranian president added.
Highlighting Iran’s close cooperation with the IAEA, Rouhani lashed out at the three European states for pressing on with the anti-Iranian resolution at the IAEA, saying, “I advise them not to do that.”
Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog have reached a good agreement, he noted, stressing that Iran’s nuclear activities are hundred percent peaceful.
Following a recent visit to Tehran by the IAEA director general, Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog issued a joint statement, declaring that Iran will stop its voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol and will deny IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear facilities beyond the Safeguards Agreement as of February 23, 2021 for three months.
According to the Iranian Parliament’s ‘Strategic Action’ on lifting sanctions and safeguarding national interests, ratified in October 2020, Tehran has halted the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol because the signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal have failed to honor their commitments.
