The major Western powers have called on Iran to refrain from taking any steps to sever ties with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and to provide the legally required cooperation to the agency. A newspaper associated with Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has published an article calling for the IAEA’s chief, Rafael Grossi, to be tried and executed. The newspaper described Grossi as an agent of the Jews, alleging that he has connections to the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad.
In response to such threats reported in the Iranian newspaper, the foreign ministries of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France have issued a joint statement condemning these threats. While the statement did not provide details of the threats against Grossi, all three countries expressed their full support for the IAEA and its Director General Grossi in carrying out the agency’s work. The statement further called on Iran to refrain from taking any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA and to provide full cooperation as legally required. They also urged Iran to take necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of all IAEA staff.
Grossi has not yet commented on the allegations made in the Iranian newspaper. He has stated that his top priority is to ensure that IAEA inspectors can return to Iranian nuclear facilities as soon as possible to conduct inspections. The Iranian government has not officially endorsed the statements published in the newspaper. Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, has said that there is no threat to Grossi. However, following the Jewish attack on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, Iran has strongly criticized Grossi and threatened to cease cooperation with the IAEA. Iran believes that the IAEA provided a pretext for the Jewish attack on Iran’s nuclear program. This is because the Jewish attack came one day after the IAEA Board passed a resolution stating that Iran had acted in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which Iran has signed.
In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron last week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that the IAEA’s discriminatory approach has caused regional and international security issues. He stated that the Iranian government, parliament, and people believe that the IAEA Director is not acting fairly towards Iran’s nuclear program, despite Iran’s good cooperation. He added that this is unacceptable. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has also said that Iran does not want Grossi to visit the country due to his role and actions in relation to the Jewish attack on Iran.
Iran has also stated that it should not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors so soon after the attack on its peaceful nuclear program.
