ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Tehran on Friday hit back after reports that Western nations are drafting a resolution at the United Nations nuclear agency accusing Iran of non-compliance with its obligations.
“Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.
On Thursday, the Associated Press, citing a senior diplomatic source, reported that the United States, Britain, France, and Germany plan to table a resolution that Iran is not complying with its safeguard obligations after a recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that said Tehran has repeatedly failed to cooperate with the agency that monitors Iran’s nuclear program.
Araghchi said that Iran has cooperated with the IAEA for years, and accused Tehran’s critics of trying to provoke a crisis by “falsely accusing Iran of violating safeguards.” He called the reports “shoddy and politicized.”
Iran is engaged in talks with the US about its nuclear program. The indirect, Oman-mediated negotiations began in April.
A key roadblock in the revived talks is the issue of uranium enrichment. While US negotiators are pushing for zero enrichment, Tehran maintains that this is a nonstarter.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted on social media: “Under our potential Agreement - WE WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM!”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday doubled down on his rejection of Washington’s precondition. He accused the US of trying to obstruct Tehran’s nuclear development and declared, “They can't do a damn thing about it.”
The talks mark the most significant engagement since 2018, when US President Donald Trump, during his first term in office, withdrew Washington from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Under that deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the US withdrawal and reimposition of sweeping sanctions, Tehran gradually reduced its compliance.
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