Pezeshkian, Macron discuss IAEA oversight, Tehran's return to nuclear talks

Rudaw Net

2 days ago

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ERBIL, Kurdistan - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday accused Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of bias and defended Iran's recent decision to suspend cooperation with the agency. The remarks came during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged Tehran to resume cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog and ensure transparency in its nuclear program.
The remarks came during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged Tehran to resume cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog and ensure transparency in its nuclear program.
Pezeshkian further censured the IAEA for allegedly issuing 'inaccurate reports' and for failing to explicitly condemn recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. He claimed the attacks violated international law and resulted in 'the martyrdom of a number of our compatriots, scientists, and military commanders.'
On Wednesday, Iran's parliament approved a bill suspending cooperation with the IAEA. Under the new legislation, IAEA inspectors will be barred from entering the country unless Tehran receives guarantees for the safety and integrity of its nuclear infrastructure and activities. The law was ratified by Iran's Guardian Council on Thursday.
In the lead-up to the bill's passage, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the IAEA of serving as 'a political instrument' and blamed the agency for escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, a conflict that has also drawn in the United States.
On June 13, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian territory, targeting nuclear facilities and killing senior military officials and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets.
Tensions escalated further when, on June 16, the United States carried out airstrikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites - Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the region. A US-brokered ceasefire took effect on June 18.
Pezeshkian on Monday defended the Iranian legislature's move to cut ties with the IAEA, calling it 'a natural reaction to this unjustified and destructive behavior' by Grossi. He also reiterated demands for international guarantees to protect Iran's nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, President Macron, in a post on X following his call with Pezeshkian, urged 'the swift resumption of the IAEA's work in Iran to ensure full transparency,' and emphasized the importance of upholding the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to which Iran is a signatory.
He further called on Tehran to 'return to the negotiating table to address ballistic and nuclear issues,' and to maintain the ceasefire with Israel to help stabilize the region.
The Israeli strikes on June 13 came just two days ahead of a scheduled sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, set for June 15 in Muscat, Oman. The indirect, Oman-mediated negotiations - ongoing since April 12 - have since been suspended.
IRNA also reported that Macron reiterated France's earlier 'condemnation of the American and Israeli military attacks on Iran' and asserted that Paris 'does not recognize any legal justification for the Israeli intervention in Iran's nuclear dossier.'
The report noted that Macron urged Iran to maintain engagement with the IAEA, potentially under a 'new framework,' though no further details were provided.
The Monday call between Pezeshkian and Macron followed a meeting between the French president and Grossi in Paris, where the two discussed 'the state of the [Iranian nuclear] program, the radiological risks, and the agency's role and how to ensure full compliance with non-proliferation standards,' according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.
Grossi described the meeting as 'fruitful and timely' in a post on X, emphasizing 'the real possibility of diplomacy and dialogue on Iran.'
In an interview with France 2 television on the same day, Grossi stressed that Iran's cooperation with the IAEA is a legal requirement under the NPT. 'It is an obligation,' he said, adding, 'It is in everyone's interest for us to resume our activities as soon as possible.'
He also expressed serious concern over Iran's enriched uranium stockpile. Before the conflict with Israel erupted, Iran was known to possess roughly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity - a level dangerously close to weapons-grade.
'This material exists somewhere, but the agency lost track of it after hostilities began,' Grossi warned. 'Iran is obliged, in any case, to show the agency inspectors where the material is located.'
Possession of 60 percent enriched uranium is widely regarded as a major proliferation risk, as it significantly shortens the time required to produce weapons-grade fissile material-effectively placing Iran on the threshold of becoming a nuclear-armed state.