Iran, China, and Russia Coordinate Ahead of IAEA Meeting
Ahead of the upcoming meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the ambassadors of Iran, China, and Russia coordinated their positions and met with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. The meeting served as an opportunity to discuss the agenda for the upcoming meeting, which will be held at the Vienna International Center (VIC) from November 19 to 21.
The Islamic Republic of Iran asserts that its cooperation with the IAEA is based on a parliamentary law. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons; sipo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/siposoft) / Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0 DEED, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en)
Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, reported on the meeting on the social media platform X. He confirmed that the permanent representatives of the three countries met with Grossi and his team to discuss the upcoming Board of Governors meeting. Last week, the envoys held another round of their traditional trilateral consultations to coordinate their positions on the Iranian nuclear dossier.
A key point of the upcoming meeting is the changed legal basis for the review of Iran: unlike previous meetings, the Iran issue will now be dealt with exclusively under the IAEA's comprehensive safeguards agreement. The IAEA's mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 has expired.
Iran emphasizes cooperation and warns against politicization
The Islamic Republic of Iran affirms that its cooperation with the IAEA is based on a law passed by the Iranian parliament. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei previously emphasized: "We remain a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and are committed to the Safeguards Agreement. These obligations are implemented in accordance with the parliamentary law that establishes the National Security Council as the competent authority."
Parallel to the meetings, there are reports that the E3 countries (the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) and the United States are seeking a new anti-Iranian resolution in the Board of Governors. This is based on a recent report by Director General Grossi. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has already warned that the adoption of such a resolution would lead to a reassessment of Iran's policy toward the IAEA and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tehran describes the move as “confrontational” and politically motivated, as reported by IRNA.
The long shadow of the JCPOA
The Iranian government has long seen its nuclear program as subject to political pressure and unfounded accusations. The closure of the so-called PMD (Possible Military Dimensions) case in 2015 eliminated an important pretext; Iran's full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear agreement, was countered by the unilateral withdrawal of the US in 2018 and the failure of the European signatories to honor their commitments.
As a result, Iran reduced its commitments under the permissible clauses of the agreement. Efforts to revive the JCPOA have stalled due to “Western delays and additional demands.” Tehran reaffirms its continued willingness to reach a stable and reliable agreement that guarantees the lifting of sanctions and prevents future abuse.
Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna