Iran says will not cave in to pressure to relinquish nuclear rights
Attacks on nuclear sites damage IAEA credibility: Atomic chief
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami said on Monday that recent attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran’s nuclear facilities have damaged the credibility of the UN nuclear agency’s safeguards system.
Addressing the 69th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Eslami said, “The agency is at a critical historical juncture.”
“What we have witnessed was not only a criminal and cowardly act against Iran but also a direct assault on the credibility of the agency and the integrity of its safeguards system.”
The AEOI chief underlined that Iran will not cave in to pressures and will not abandon its inherent and legitimate rights under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and international law.
“The enemies of Iran must understand that nuclear science and technology are deeply rooted in Iran and will not be eradicated by military operations, assassination, or aggression. The goal of the Zionist regime is not only to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities but has always been to undermine the path of diplomacy and peace,” the Iranian official said.
Eslami said Israel attacked Iran’s facilities on the pretext of preventing Iran from building nuclear arms while the regime has not joined the NPT, has obstructed the realization of a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, and is expanding its nuclear arsenal even further.
“Unfortunately, these actions, which violate international law, are carried out with the support or inaction of some Western countries,” he added.
Following a 12-day aggression against Iran in June, which saw Israel and the United States bomb residential areas, military and nuclear sites across Iran, Tehran decided to suspend its cooperation with the IAEA.
Iran expressed anger at the IAEA for paving the way for Israel’s attack by censuring the country the day before Israel’s aggression with a damning report in May that claimed Tehran was in breach of the NPT.
Fury then followed when the watchdog did not condemn attacks by Israel and the US on Iran’s nuclear facilities. In July, Iran passed a law suspending cooperation with the agency.
However, the two sides agreed last week in Egypt to resume cooperation.
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