Iran Dismisses French Comments on Tehran-IAEA Interaction
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh rejected the comments made by his French counterpart who has called for the UN nuclear agency’s strong message to Iran, stressing that the IAEA must stay away from political approaches.
Asked by reporters about the recent remarks by the French Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Khatibzadeh said on Thursday, “The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a responsible member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has always emphasized that the IAEA's reputation as a UN technical and specialized body should be free from the stain of any political conduct or action.”
“Accordingly, any stance of officials and political institutions of different countries with the aim of influencing the behavior of the International Atomic Energy Agency harms the technical and professional status of the IAEA, and without a doubt the ploy of using the International Atomic Energy Agency as a tool calls into question the international legitimacy of the Agency's actions rather than benefiting its perpetrators,” he added.
His comments came after French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters in a daily briefing that the IAEA’s Board of Governors must send a strong message to Iran when it convenes next week.
"It (Iran) must return without delay to fulfilling all its commitments and obligations to the IAEA, resume cooperation with the agency and return to full implementation of the JCPOA," Legendre said.
"The IAEA Board of Governors must help send a strong message to Iran in this regard," she said of the 35-nation meeting that begins on November 24 in Vienna.
