Tehran, June 9 (IANS) Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran has prepared a set of measures in response to the potential adoption of an anti-Tehran resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) Board of Governors.
Baghaei made the remarks at a weekly press conference in Tehran while elaborating on Iran’s likely reactions to the possible adoption of the resolution by the United Nations nuclear watchdog during its ongoing meeting in Vienna later in the day.
“No doubt, the response to confrontation will not be further cooperation. The Islamic Republic of Iran has prepared a set of steps and measures, and the other sides are aware of our capacities and capabilities in this area,” Baghaei said.
Baghaei emphasized that from the outset, Iran’s approach has been based on engagement and cooperation with the IAEA in accordance with the country’s obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.”
He said Iran had implemented important measures in line with promoting cooperation with the IAEA, but the agency, “under the pressure and political influence” of France, Britain and Germany, as well as the United States, decided to compile a “comprehensive” report about Tehran’s nuclear activities, “which was later abused by the Europeans for proposing the draft resolution to pursue their desired plans.”
Baghaei reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program was completely peaceful, Xinhua news agency reported. “Even if we consider the IAEA’s recent report, it does not mention any non-compliance or deviation from the peaceful path,” although it was clearly compiled with political objectives and aiming to make up excuses about Tehran’s nuclear programme, Baghaei said.
If adopted, the resolution will prepare the ground for the European powers to trigger the snapback mechanism, a clause in a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that would allow the other parties to reimpose all international sanctions if Iran fails to comply with the agreement.
Baghaei shrugged off the Europeans’ threat to trigger the snapback mechanism, saying that given the entirely “peaceful nature” of Iran’s nuclear program, there was no pretext or legal basis for the country’s nuclear issue to remain on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
He added that the three European countries and the United States would be responsible for the consequences of their confrontational measures.
In its report, the IAEA claimed that Tehran had failed to provide credible explanations for the uranium traces found at three undeclared locations and accused the country of providing “less than satisfactory” cooperation.
Speaking in an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Sunday night, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said the IAEA should certainly not expect Iran to continue its “broad and friendly” cooperation in case of adopting the anti-Tehran resolution at its board meeting, warning of the country’s retaliatory measures in response.
–IANS
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