Delaying a solution to the existing issues between Iran and the IAEA is fraught with negative consequences, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna, said on Wednesday in his speech at the session of the IAEA Board of governors (BoG) entitled "NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran". The text of the speech is published on the website of the Russian foreign ministry.
Ulyanov drew attention to Tehran's readiness to cooperate closely with the IAEA on all verification activities. According to him, the agreements of IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi on another meeting with Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic energy organization of Iran (AEOI), in Vienna, as well as the subsequent visit of the agency's director-general to Tehran for high-level consultations serve as confirmation. "We trust that this visit will be arranged as soon as possible and that all existing issues can be resolved in a mutually respectful dialogue within a reasonable time frame. Further delaying is fraught with extremely negative consequences," he pointed out.
Ulyanov emphasized that the Russian side proceeds from the fact that all obligations stipulated in the safeguards agreements must be strictly fulfilled by the signatory states, including Iran. "We emphasize the importance for Tehran to provide the required interaction and provide the necessary clarifications in the interest of promptly removing problematic topics from the council's agenda. We hope that our opinion will be listened to," the diplomat noted.
Earlier, it became known that the Western participants of the Joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program and the US are considering the possibility of submitting a draft resolution criticizing Iran over the development of its nuclear program to the IAEA BoG. Against this background, Grossi visited Tehran last weekend and reached an agreement with the Atomic energy organization of Iran to continue cooperation on Iran's nuclear program. In a joint statement, the sides noted that Iran had allowed IAEA inspectors to use surveillance cameras from Iranian nuclear facilities again. The visit and the agreement helped resolve the acute situation around Iran's nuclear activities and avoid possible obstacles to negotiations on the restoration of the JCPOA in Vienna.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS