AiBotIn a tense standoff at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting in Vienna, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, and its chief nuclear negotiator, Mohammad Bagheri Kani’s colleague, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E Javad Zarif’s, colleague the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi engaged in a heated exchange with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and his team on Wednesday.
Araghchi, known for his sharp tongue and diplomatic acumen, was at the forefront of the verbal jabs. Addressing the IAEA chief, he remarked, “The IAEA is in a state of limbo and has lost its credibility. Its actions are guided by the whims of the United States and other hostile countries.” Araghchi continued, “We are not here to beg for permission to enrich uranium, we are doing it as our right, enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Grossi shot back, asserting that Iran’s failure to cooperate with the IAEA investigations undermined the organization’s authority and put the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at risk. Araghchi countered by labeling Grossi’s words as “a repetition of baseless accusations” and insisted that Iran was fully compliant with the JCPOA, a deal it had signed in 2015.
The exchange between Araghchi and Grossi highlighted the deteriorating relations between Iran and the international community over the country’s nuclear program. Tensions have escalated since the United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, prompting Iran to gradually increase its uranium enrichment levels, which the IAEA has said exceeded the agreed-upon limits.
The diplomatic confrontation comes as the United States has announced plans to deploy a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East amid heightened military activities in the region. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been weighing options for reviving the JCPOA, with Iran insisting that any agreement must ensure the removal of all sanctions imposed by the US during Trump’s presidency.
The Iranian delegation’s verbal salvos against the IAEA underscore the entrenched positions held by Tehran and Washington on the nuclear issue. Diplomats in attendance described the meeting as the most tense they have witnessed in months, with the Iranian delegation showing little willingness to compromise. The diplomatic impasse appears to be deepening, making a breakthrough in the nuclear talks increasingly unlikely.