News - Middle East: Iran’s nuclear chief says the “anti-Iran” resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors is aimed at pressuring Tehran into giving concessions.

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), made the comments in a televised interview on Thursday shortly after the 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution accusing Iran of "non-compliance" with its nuclear obligations.

“What we observe today is a series of political moves by the three European countries, Britain, France and Germany, guided by the United States and aided by the IAEA Director General [Rafael Grossi], who is under the influence of the Zionist regime. Their goal is to pressure us into giving concessions,” Eslami stressed.

He also warned that the capacities of the IAEA are being exploited, refereeing to a report by Reuters following the Board of Governors’ vote, headlining that Iran had allegedly failed to fulfill its nuclear commitments to the UN nuclear watchdog.

“For example, Reuters headlined that Iran had failed to fulfill its nuclear commitments to the Agency. However, in reality, neither the content of the report nor the resolution actually confirms such a claim. In the resolution, based on the IAEA Director General's report, it is stated that Iran has not fulfilled its JCPOA commitments. Yet, according to UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the JCPOA commitments are mutual obligations between both parties,” Eslami noted.

The resolution, drafted by the US, Britain, France and Germany, was passed with 19 votes in favor, three against, and 11 abstentions. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso voted against it. Among the countries that abstained were South Africa, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Eslami also announced that AEOI had constructed its third enrichment site and that advanced sixth-generation centrifuges are to be installed at Fordow nuclear facility.

“They constantly issue threats, but they must understand that Iran’s nuclear industry is part of the people’s identity. In response to their political maneuvering, we have constructed our third enrichment site and begun its operations. The site has been built and is secure,” he said.

“The process of equipping the machines has begun, and once that is complete, we will begin enrichment operations. Furthermore, we will replace the first-generation centrifuges at Fordow with advanced sixth-generation ones,” the AEOI chief further noted.

Following the resolution on Thursday, the AEOI and Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a joint statement, condemning it for being “politically-motivated.”

The joint statement pointed to the IAEA’s “political and biased” report and said the US and European troika have gone even further by drafting a resolution whose main content is also in contradiction to the politically-motivated report by the UN nuclear agency’s director general.

It added that the four countries are pursuing their own political agendas and have attempted to revive allegations dating back over 25 years, after failing to identify any ambiguities in Iran's current nuclear activities.

The 2015 nuclear deal, which stipulated the suspension of anti-Iran sanctions in return for confidence-building restrictions on Tehran's nuclear work, was derailed by the unilateral US withdrawal in 2018.

Iran waited for over a year for the three European parties to the accord to make up for the US withdrawal, but to no avail.

Source: Press TV