The Board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) won't adopt a resolution criticizing Iran over its nuclear program, as there's no reason for such a document, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna and Russia's representative to the IAEA Board of governors, told TASS on Tuesday, commenting on this week's discussion of the Iranian nuclear issue at a session of this international body.
"I think there will be no resolution criticizing Iran at the IAEA Board of governors. The diplomat said, "Taking into account the visit of IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi to Tehran and the agreements reached there, there is no reason for such a resolution".
According to him, the discussions on the Iranian problem at the session of the IAEA Board of governors are critical but on the whole, they are quite calm.
Earlier, it became known that the Western parties to 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 at the session of the IAEA Board of governors. Against this background, IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi visited Tehran last weekend and reached an agreement with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) 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. This 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.
The Russian side welcomes Iran's statement that it is ready to resume the negotiation process in Vienna on restoring the nuclear agreement with the Islamic republic, Ulyanov said, referring to the prospect of resuming consultations on the JCPOA.
"The exact date for the resumption of negotiations is not yet known. But yesterday the Iranian foreign ministry representative mentioned for the first time that the negotiation process would resume in the near future. The Iranians never said that before. I would like to hope that this is an indicator that the Iranians are almost ready to return to the negotiating table in Vienna. If that is the case, we welcome that. We think it's really time to do that," the diplomat stressed.
On September 13, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced that the Iranian authorities would soon resume negotiations on the nuclear deal in the Austrian capital.
Speculation about Iran's ability to build a nuclear bomb
Moscow doesn't welcome speculations about Tehran's ability to create nuclear weapons, as there are no signs of the Islamic republic working in this direction, Ulyanov said, commenting on a relevant publication in The New York Times.
Earlier, the American edition reported, citing the opinions of experts who have analyzed the latest IAEA reports, that Iran could get enough material needed to make one nuclear warhead in about a month.
"We do not welcome this speculation. It is extremely difficult for a non-nuclear state to build a nuclear bomb. There is no indication that Iran is working in this direction. This is speculation that simply adds to the atmosphere at a time when all stakeholders and the US need to sit down again at the negotiating table and address the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]," Ulyanov said.
Six rounds of talks were held in Vienna from April to June 2021 involving all JCPOA signatory countries (Iran, Russia, Britain, Germany, China, and France), as well as the United States, on the problem of restoring the Iranian nuclear agreement in its original form. The parties took a break at the end of June, which was delayed due to the presidential elections in Iran and the formation of a new government in that country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mikhail Metzel / TASS
Based on materials from TASS