Iran's nuclear chief says IAEA failed to support peaceful nuclear energy

Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Sunday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has failed to fulfill its responsibility to support the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He made the remarks while denouncing the IAEA for yielding to pressure from the United States and the Zionist regime.

Eslami pointed to the Iranian president's statement at the 81st UN General Assembly that "the bomb is in Israel, while the inspectors are in Iran," saying it exposed contradictions in the international approach to nuclear issues. He argued that double standards and criminal conduct have damaged the UN Charter and led to international laws being disregarded and violated.

The AEOI chief said the international legal framework established after World War II has been largely paralyzed by US unilateralism and excessive demands. Washington, he added, has withdrawn from international organizations and cooperative arrangements whenever they failed to serve its interests, seeking to impose its preferred unipolar world order.

Eslami stressed that peaceful nuclear energy belongs to all nations and that, under international law and the IAEA's regulations, the agency is responsible for encouraging, facilitating and supporting equitable access to this technology. He said the IAEA has failed for years to fulfill that responsibility toward Iran and has instead pursued policies aimed at slowing the country's progress under US and Israeli pressure.

According to Mehr News, Eslami's remarks underscore Iran's ongoing criticism of the IAEA's approach and its calls for the agency to adhere to its mandate of promoting peaceful nuclear energy for all nations.