Iran accuses IAEA director of ‘betrayal’ for attacks on nuclear locations

(MENAFN) Iran has accused International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi of issuing a misleading report that Tehran claims played a direct role in prompting Israel’s recent military strikes on its nuclear facilities. The Iranian Foreign Ministry labeled Grossi’s actions a betrayal of the IAEA’s mission.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei criticized Grossi for what he called a “biased report” that was used by the U.S. and three European nations to push through a resolution based on “baseless allegations of non-compliance.”

Earlier this month, Grossi reported that Iran was the only non-nuclear-armed country enriching uranium to 60%. However, in a CNN interview on Tuesday, he acknowledged that IAEA inspectors had found no evidence that Iran was pursuing a nuclear weapon program.

Baqaei dismissed the CNN remarks as too little, too late, arguing that Grossi’s earlier report “obscured the truth” and was manipulated to justify a resolution that gave cover to what he called a “genocidal warmongering regime” — a reference to Israel — for launching an “unlawful” attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

The IAEA Board of Governors recently passed a resolution declaring Iran in violation of its nuclear non-proliferation commitments for the first time in two decades. The motion, supported by 19 of the agency’s 35 member states, including the U.S., UK, France, and Germany, cited Iran’s failure to account for undeclared nuclear material and a growing stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran dismissed the resolution as politically motivated and responded by announcing plans to build a new uranium enrichment facility. Russia also criticized the resolution, calling it “biased and anti-Iranian,” and warned that it laid the groundwork for Israel’s military campaign.

Baqaei argued that Grossi had “betrayed the non-proliferation regime,” warned of the dangers of misleading narratives, and called for accountability.

Israel has justified its strikes by claiming Iran is close to developing a nuclear weapon—an accusation Tehran strongly denies, insisting its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, reaffirmed that American intelligence has seen no signs of Iran pursuing nuclear arms—a conclusion unchanged since their last assessment in March.

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