The 69th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened on Monday at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, with senior representatives from member states in attendance.
The conference, which will run until Friday, is among the most important annual events of the IAEA. Ambassadors, envoys, and senior officials from member countries will discuss a broad range of topics related to the agency’s activities and budget.
From Iran, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, is attending the conference. Prior to departing for Vienna, he stated that the event provides an opportunity to present Iran’s perspectives, particularly regarding situations affecting the country’s nuclear industry.
Iran’s nuclear chief blasts IAEA ‘double standards’ ahead of Vienna conference
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for what he called “double standards,” citing the agency’s failure to condemn US–Israeli attacks on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities earlier this year.
Speaking ahead of the 69th IAEA General Conference in Vienna on Sunday, Mohammad Eslami said the agency’s silence in the face of such attacks, while it regularly issues statements on cases in other countries, revealed a clear example of bias.
“For instance, regarding [Ukraine’s] Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the [IAEA] director general consistently issues statements and resolutions, but when military strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, which are under strict safeguards and heavy monitoring, the agency remained silent,” he noted.
Eslami was referring to the strikes the US and Israel launched on Iranian nuclear sites of Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, during the 12-day war of aggression launched by Israel on June 13.
He also said that Iran will present a resolution at the IAEA General Conference, which is aimed at prohibiting military attacks on nuclear facilities.
Even if the draft resolution does not reach a vote, the very act of placing it on the agenda shows that “the UN Charter has been undermined” and highlights the need for stronger protections, he noted.
“The recent aggression against Iranian territory did not just harm our nuclear industry but also struck a blow against the UN Charter,” he added.
The Iranian nuclear chief emphasized that this year’s IAEA General Conference provides an important platform for Tehran to voice its positions and challenge discriminatory practices.
He said several countries sympathetic to Iran have already acknowledged the legitimacy of its concerns.
Eslami arrived in Vienna on Sunday, where he was received by Iran’s ambassador to Austria, Asadollah Eshraq Jahromi, and Iran’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, Reza Najafi.
The 69th IAEA General Conference is taking place in Vienna from September 15 to 19.
