IAEA inspectors expelled over hostile political behavior: Iran nuclear chief
Iran’s nuclear chief says the recently expelled International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors were from the three European countries that repeatedly took hostile political positions against Tehran.
“The expelled inspectors were from the three European countries that often displayed hostile political behaviors, and therefore, we removed the inspectors from those countries,” Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a cabinet session in Tehran.
He further said the IAEA has 127 approved inspectors in Iran and the expelled inspectors had not visited Iran for several years.
“Making a commotion over this case is rooted in the political behavior and psychological operations of these countries, which constantly say that Iran must unilaterally implement the provisions of the JCPOA while they do nothing,” Eslami added.
Iran has repeatedly warned against the consequences of attempts to use the UN nuclear watchdog as a political tool to pressure the country.
Last month, the Islamic Republic barred multiple IAEA inspectors assigned to the country based on the Islamic Republic’s governance rights enshrined in the Safeguards Agreement between the two sides.