Iran's FM, AEOI issue joint statement to react IAEA report

TABNAK, Jun. 01 -Iran said the I.A.E.A. report made references to minor, irrelevant, and extra-mandate issues.

News ID: 6478

Date: 01 June 2025 - 13:45

Iran has strongly condemned the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) as unbalanced and politically motivated, saying the report has been shaped by fabricated information provided by Israel and aligns with the agenda of Western powers.

In a joint statement, the Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (A.E.O.I.) maintained that at a time when the Islamic Republic continues to cooperate with the I.A.E.A. under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the issuance of joint statements, the report makes references to minor, irrelevant, and extra-mandate issues.

The following is the full text of the joint statement:

In view of the recent report issued by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, contained in document GOV/2025/25 dated 31 May 2025, the Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran deem it necessary to put emphasis on the following points:

The governments of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States of America have repeatedly violated their commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Security Council Resolution 2231, while simultaneously resorting to imposing illegal unilateral sanctions and pressures against the Islamic Republic of Iran in breach of principles of international law. At the November 2024 meeting of the I.A.E.A. Board of Governors, these countries, through an unjustified political move and regardless of the achievements of the director general’s visit to Iran, presented a resolution against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This approach resulted in the lack of support from many members, exposing the political and destructive nature of the resolution’s sponsors.

The stance once again proved that the European troika and the US are not sincere in their claims to preserve the I.A.E.A.’s credibility and in their efforts to reach an agreement. They have spared no effort to use the agency for leverage in the ongoing political process.

Despite serious reservations regarding the content and direction of the Board of Governors’ resolution dated November 21, 2024 and legitimate opposition to the approach of the European troika and the US as the resolution’s sponsors, the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on a principled approach founded on constructive interaction with the I.A.E.A. within the framework of its rights and obligations stipulated under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, has sincerely continued its extensive cooperation with the agency. In this regard, the director general of the I.A.E.A. has visited Tehran twice, and Iran has also hosted the deputy director general for safeguards on two occasions.

Unfortunately, despite such broad cooperation on part of Iran, the comprehensive report prepared, although acknowledging Iran’s cooperation, does not reflect the actual level of such cooperation. In the report, the director general, by relying extensively on forged documents provided by the Zionist regime, has reiterated previous biased and unfounded accusations. The allegations leveled in the current report are based on a few claims about undeclared activities and locations from past decades. This is while Iran has repeatedly declared that it has had no undeclared nuclear sites or activities. At the same time, Iran has given the I.A.E.A. access to the alleged locations, allowing sampling, and providing detailed information and explanations on various occasions regarding the history of the alleged sites, providing the necessary cooperation with the agency.

Other claims in this report revolve around issues such as Iran’s sovereign right to accept inspectors, Modified Code 3.1, the joint statement, enrichment levels, and reading intentions. As for the appointment of inspectors, while the I.A.E.A. currently has appointed 125 inspectors for Iran, the cancellation of the mandate of a small number of them based on the sovereign and indisputable rights of the Islamic Republic (Article 9 of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement) is a completely normal action and is in line with the rights of member states of the treaty.

At a time when Iran continues to cooperate with the I.A.E.A. under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the issuance of joint statements, the released report makes references to minor, irrelevant, and extra-mandate issues.

The Islamic Republic of Iran would like to stipulate that the improper distinction between obligations under the NPT and voluntary commitments under the JCPOA is another fundamental flaw of this report. The report has been prepared in a way that some of Iran’s voluntary actions are incorrectly presented as binding safeguards obligations, whereas the legal basis for such an interpretation is not supported by the agency’s foundational documents nor does the Islamic Republic have such legal commitments. Meanwhile, invoking unreliable and misleading information provided by the Zionist regime as a non-NPT party possessing weapons of mass destruction and responsible for the most heinous crimes against humanity, including genocide, contradicts the professional verification principles of the I.A.E.A.

These points lead the Islamic Republic of Iran to conclude that the structure and content of the report are unbalanced and fail to comprehensively and accurately evaluate the factors affecting the current situation, including the US’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and the fundamental non-compliance of European countries with their commitments under the deal. While voicing regret over the publication of the report, which was prepared with political objectives through pressure on the agency, the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly protests its content. The report goes beyond the director general’s mandate and conflicts with the professional requirements governing international organizations, including the principle of impartiality.

The repetition of baseless allegations that cannot lend credibility to these claims, coupled with voicing too much concern in this regard, serves merely as a pretext for political propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is while the fake Israeli regime, without being a signatory to the NPT, possesses a nuclear arsenal and simultaneously threatens the peaceful nuclear facilities of an NPT member nation. Unfortunately, despite his legal duties and repeated requests from the Islamic Republic of Iran to condemn these threats, the I.A.E.A. director general has taken no action.

The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses deep regret about the director general’s lack of impartiality and his disregard for professional conduct under political pressures in the preparation and publication of the report. The Islamic Republic also warns against any political exploitation of the report’s contents and reiterates the following:

According to a fatwa issued by the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, nuclear weapons have no place in the nation’s defense doctrine;
In accordance with fundamental principles of international law, there is no prohibition or restriction on the inherent and inalienable right of any country to peaceful nuclear energy;
Iran’s enrichment program is solely for peaceful purposes, fully transparent, under complete I.A.E.A. supervision, and in accordance with the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement;
Had it not been for the political motives and hypocrisy of the European troika and the US at the agency, such an unfair and repetitive report would have had no justification.
In conclusion, it is emphasized that should certain countries seek to misuse Iran’s cooperation and engagement with the Agency, as well as its transparent and confidence-building approach in the Agency’s verification activities or the current report during the Board of Governors meeting, the Islamic Republic of Iran will adopt and implement appropriate measures in response to such an approach, in order to safeguard the country’s legitimate rights and interests. The consequences and responsibility for such actions will rest with those countries.