Iran criticizes IAEA for overfocus on safeguards, urges adherence to Statute

Iran's mission to the United Nations in Vienna criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday for what it described as an excessive focus on safeguards, urging the agency to return to its founding principles as outlined in its Statute.

In a post on X marking the anniversary of the entry into force of the IAEA Statute on July 29, 1957, Iran's mission highlighted Article II of the document. The mission argued that the agency must refocus on advancing atomic energy for peace, health, and prosperity worldwide.

"29th July 1957: the IAEA Statute entered into force. Its anniversary, about 7 decades later, is a timely reminder of the organization's founding principles as well as the mission and vision upon which it was established. The Statute's Article II sets out a clear mission: to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health, and prosperity throughout the world," Iran's mission said.

"Despite ever-growing global demand for nuclear energy and given the contribution that the Agency can make in addressing it, particularly in developing countries, it is extremely alarming that its hyperfocus on safeguards, including through allocation of most of its regular budget thereon—thus making technical cooperation programs dependent on extrabudgetary contributions—has resulted in the Agency's diversion from this highly important mission," it added.

"The only option to stop and reverse this alarming trend is to ensure the full, balanced, objective, and non-discriminatory implementation of its mission, for which it was essentially established. This indeed is vital for restoring and preserving the Agency's credibility," the mission noted.

The statement comes amid ongoing tensions between Iran and the IAEA over Iran's nuclear program. The IAEA has repeatedly reported that Iran has not fully cooperated with its verification activities, while Iran maintains that its nuclear activities are peaceful and that the agency should adhere to its statutory mandate without discrimination.

According to Mehr News, Iran's mission emphasized that the agency's current allocation of resources undermines its technical cooperation programs, which are crucial for developing countries seeking to benefit from nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The mission called for a balanced approach that respects the agency's founding vision.