Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned a resolution by the U.N. atomic watchdog as “anti-Iranian” and warned of unspecified retaliatory actions, state media reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday called on Iran to fully cooperate by providing “precise information” on its near weapons-grade uranium stockpile and granting inspectors access to nuclear sites.
According to the official IRNA news agency, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran informed the Vienna-based agency that, in addition to ending the Cairo agreement reached over the summer, it may take “other actions” in response to the resolution. Baghaei did not detail potential measures but hinted that further uranium enrichment could be among them.
UN atomic watchdog urges Iran to disclose full uranium stockpile
He accused the IAEA of siding with the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany and criticized the resolution for ignoring the fact that Iran had suspended inspections due to Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities in June.
After the 12-day air war with Israel in June, which killed nearly 1,100 people including military commanders and nuclear scientists, Iran suspended all cooperation with the IAEA. Although inspections resumed following a September Cairo agreement, Tehran halted its implementation after the U.N. reimposed sanctions via the “snapback” mechanism of the 2015 nuclear deal, escalating tensions further.
The latest resolution is likely to deepen the standoff between Tehran and the U.N. nuclear agency.
Source: AP