West condemns 'threats' against head of nuclear watchdog
The UK, France and Germany have condemned what they describe as threats against the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and called on Iran to guarantee the safety of the watchdog's staff on its territory.
"France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the Agency and the DG in carrying out their mandate," said a joint statement issued by their foreign affairs ministries.
"We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA. We urge Iran to immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel," they added.
The joint statement did not specify what threats had been made against Mr Grossi.
Earlier, Iran said that it could not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors, so swiftly after its nuclear sites were struck by Israel and the United States strikes in the 12-day conflict that ended with a ceasefire last week.
"How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference.
The IAEA's board voted earlier this month to declare that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iranian officials have suggested that vote helped pave the way for Israel's attacks.
Mr Baghaei said that a parliamentary bill approved by the Guardian Council makes it mandatory for the government in Tehran to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
"Iran shouldn't be expected to accept its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty when the UN nuclear watchdog has stopped short of condemning the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites," he added.
Iran hits out at Trump 'psychological and media games'
Iran has criticised US President Donald Trump's shifting stance on whether to lift economic sanctions against the country as "games" that were not aimed at solving the problems between them.
"These [statements by Trump] should be viewed more in the context of psychological and media games than as a serious expression in favour of dialogue or problem-solving," Mr Baghaei said.
The comments came after Iran's deputy foreign minister said that talks between Tehran and Washington cannot resume unless the US rules out further strikes.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the US had signalled it wants to return to the negotiating table.
"We have not agreed to any date, we have not agreed to the modality.
"Right now we are seeking an answer to this question. Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?"
The US needed to be "quite clear on this very important question", he said.
The two countries were in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme when the strikes took place earlier this month.
The deputy minister said that the US had signalled it did "not want to engage in regime change" by targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mr Takht-Ravanchi also said that Iran should still be allowed to enrich uranium.
"The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if you do not agree, we will bomb you, that is the law of the jungle".
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5 hours ago
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West condemns 'threats' against head of nuclear watchdog
The UK, France and Germany have condemned what they describe as threats against the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and called on Iran to guarantee the safety of the watchdog's staff on its territory. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the Agency and the DG in carrying out their mandate," said a joint statement issued by their foreign affairs ministries. "We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA. We urge Iran to immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel," they added. The joint statement did not specify what threats had been made against Mr Grossi. Earlier, Iran said that it could not be expected to guarantee the safety of IAEA inspectors, so swiftly after its nuclear sites were struck by Israel and the United States strikes in the 12-day conflict that ended with a ceasefire last week. "How can they expect us to ensure the safety and security of the agency's inspectors when Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities were attacked a few days ago?" foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a news conference. The IAEA's board voted earlier this month to declare that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iranian officials have suggested that vote helped pave the way for Israel's attacks. Mr Baghaei said that a parliamentary bill approved by the Guardian Council makes it mandatory for the government in Tehran to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. "Iran shouldn't be expected to accept its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty when the UN nuclear watchdog has stopped short of condemning the attacks on Iran's nuclear sites," he added. Iran hits out at Trump 'psychological and media games' Iran has criticised US President Donald Trump's shifting stance on whether to lift economic sanctions against the country as "games" that were not aimed at solving the problems between them. "These [statements by Trump] should be viewed more in the context of psychological and media games than as a serious expression in favour of dialogue or problem-solving," Mr Baghaei said. The comments came after Iran's deputy foreign minister said that talks between Tehran and Washington cannot resume unless the US rules out further strikes. Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the US had signalled it wants to return to the negotiating table. "We have not agreed to any date, we have not agreed to the modality. "Right now we are seeking an answer to this question. Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?" The US needed to be "quite clear on this very important question", he said. The two countries were in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme when the strikes took place earlier this month. The deputy minister said that the US had signalled it did "not want to engage in regime change" by targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Takht-Ravanchi also said that Iran should still be allowed to enrich uranium. "The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if you do not agree, we will bomb you, that is the law of the jungle".
