Iran says barring nuclear chief from IAEA conference violates its rights

Iran's ambassador to the UN and other international organizations in Vienna said Monday that preventing the country's nuclear chief from attending the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) General Conference constitutes a "clear violation" of Iran's rights as a member state.

Addressing the conference in Vienna, Reza Najafi said Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, had been denied access to the session after pressure from the US government.

He said the denial violates the principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the IAEA Statute, which guarantees member states equal rights and benefits from membership.

Najafi added that the move impaired Iran's right to be represented at the general conference by a delegate of its choice and undermined the privileges necessary for accredited delegates to perform their functions.

"It violates the principles of equal representation and participation of all members in this conference and other meetings of the agency. There are treaty-based rights of membership; they cannot and must not be impaired," he said.

The Iranian envoy further accused Austria, as the host country, of breaching its obligations under the headquarters agreement between Austria and the IAEA.

He said the agreement requires the host country to take necessary measures to facilitate representatives of member states entering Austrian territory and to grant visas promptly to accredited delegates.

Najafi called on the host country to take "urgent corrective action" and provide assurances that similar incidents would not occur again.

"The denial of access of a head of delegation to the conference constitutes a clear abuse of power and process by the host country. It further undermines Austria's overall standing as a host of international organizations in an impartial and professional manner," he said.

"That failure cannot be justified. There is no legal basis for it," he added.

The IAEA General Conference started in Vienna on Monday and is set to conclude on Friday.