Iran reaffirms commitment to non-proliferation treaty and continued nuclear inspections
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had visited the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran several days earlier. He stressed that Tehran had not suspended its obligations under its safeguards agreement with the agency.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Baghaei said Iran remained a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and continued to uphold both the treaty and its safeguards agreement. He said the country had demonstrated its adherence to those commitments.
He added that circumstances imposed on Iran had disrupted the normal implementation of safeguards procedures. Nevertheless, he maintained that Tehran had not suspended its obligations towards the IAEA, arguing that the parties responsible for attacking Iranian nuclear facilities should be held accountable for the consequences of those strikes on monitoring and inspection activities.
Baghaei also criticised the IAEA’s Board of Governors and its director general, accusing them of failing to fulfil their responsibilities in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
He said the latest inspection at Bushehr had taken place several days earlier and confirmed that communication between Iran’s mission in Vienna and the agency was continuing.
His assurances that Iran remained a party to the NPT and continued to cooperate with the IAEA follow repeated calls in recent months for Tehran to withdraw from the treaty and reconsider its nuclear policy. Those demands have come from Iranian lawmakers, as well as political parties and media outlets described as hardline.
