“Well, we have a very principled position. We will continue to protect our national interests by all means. For a reaction to this resolution, we will follow the same principle,” Najafi told CGTN on Saturday.
“We should see what would be the actual effects of such a resolution. In our view, there wouldn’t be any actual effect by this resolution. But we will assess, and based on our assessment, we will react to that,” he added.
“The access to all facilities existed before the attack, and it was the attack and the aggression against Iran which caused the current situation,” he noted.
“So Iran should not be blamed for that. And claiming that Iran is not cooperating or breaching an obligation is technically and legally wrong and a false assumption,” he stated.
The IAEA Board of Governors had approved a resolution proposed by the United States and three European countries, Britain, France, and Germany, with 23 votes in favor, three against, and eight abstentions. Russia, China, and Niger voted against the resolution.
The resolution, which repeats political allegations regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, calls on the IAEA Director General to refer Iran’s case to both the UN Security Council and the General Assembly.
Earlier, in an explanatory note submitted in response to the latest report by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Iran’s mission to the agency had pushed back against expectations for routine implementation of safeguards, arguing that such demands are unreasonable given the continued threats and hostilities targeting the country.
The note pointed out that the IAEA itself has previously suspended verification activities and withdrawn inspectors from Iran due to prevailing conditions. He also criticized the Director General’s report for omitting references to the aggression against its nuclear facilities.
