Iran has accused Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), of distorting facts in a recent report that Tehran claims helped justify an Israeli military strike on its nuclear facilities—denouncing the move as a betrayal of the agency’s mandate, reads an RT report.
In a statement posted Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Grossi had issued a “biased report” that was seized upon by the United States and three European nations to pass a resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance with nuclear safeguards.
Earlier this month, Grossi reported that “Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%.” While still below weapons-grade levels, the enrichment significantly exceeds the limits set under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
In a subsequent CNN interview on Tuesday, Grossi clarified that UN inspectors had “not seen any indication that Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon.”
“This is too late, Mr. Grossi,” Baqaei said, arguing that the earlier report obscured key facts and was “instrumentalized… to craft a resolution” that later served as justification for what he described as an “unlawful attack” by a “genocidal warmongering regime.”
The IAEA board of governors last week passed a resolution officially censuring Iran for the first time in 20 years. Backed by 19 of the agency’s 35 members—including the US, UK, France, and Germany—the resolution cited Iran’s failure to explain the presence of undeclared nuclear material and its steadily growing uranium stockpiles.
Tehran rejected the motion as politically driven and announced plans to construct a new uranium enrichment site.
Russia also criticized the resolution, calling it “biased and anti-Iranian,” and argued it paved the way for Israeli military actions against Iran.
Baqaei accused Grossi of having “betrayed the non-proliferation regime,” demanded accountability, and warned that “misleading narratives have dire consequences.”
Israel, which has not confirmed or denied responsibility for the strikes, has justified its actions by claiming Iran is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Tehran strongly denies those claims, maintaining that its nuclear program is strictly for civilian and peaceful purposes.
Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, reiterated that American intelligence agencies have seen no evidence that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon—a position unchanged since their last assessment in March.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
