Iran has formally condemned the exclusion of the head of its Atomic Energy Organization from the annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna. Iranian officials characterized the decision to deny a visa to Mohammad Eslami as a serious breach of Tehran's rights as a member nation.
During the conference, Iran’s ambassador to the agency, Reza Najafi, addressed delegates, arguing that the obstruction of full and effective participation contravenes both the letter and the spirit of the legal framework governing attendance at IAEA meetings. Najafi further criticized Austria, the host country for the IAEA and other United Nations organizations, asserting that the refusal to grant a visa to Eslami violates the host country’s obligations. This stance was supported by the Russian ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, who stated that Austria had grossly violated its duties as a host nation. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also condemned the decision on Monday, noting that Tehran had protested the move and summoned the Austrian chargé d’affaires to address the matter.
In response to the criticism, Christian Ebner, Austria’s ambassador to the IAEA, explained that the country was legally obligated to deny entry because a U.N. Security Council committee had rejected Austria’s request to exempt Eslami from an existing travel ban. While Austria typically possesses the authority to request travel waivers to enable sanctioned officials to attend international conferences at the U.N. in Vienna, the final decision rests with the U.N. Security Council’s sanctions committee. This committee oversees punitive measures that were reinstated last year after France, Britain, and Germany triggered the so-called snapback mechanism, an action whose legality is rejected by Iran, Russia, and China.
Preston Wells Griffith, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, confirmed that Washington had lodged an objection to the exemption request. Griffith stated that the U.S. could not allow a U.N.-designated official to travel without meaningful cooperation regarding nuclear safeguards. Tensions remain elevated following strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025. Since that time, Iran has restricted IAEA inspector access to the affected locations, despite its legal obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The agency has also been unable to verify the status of Iran's uranium stockpile, which currently stands at 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) enriched up to 60% purity, a level just below the 90% required for weapons-grade material. Earlier this month, the IAEA board adopted a resolution reporting Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in two decades, citing a failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected at undeclared sites. While Western officials suspect these traces provide evidence of a secret nuclear weapons program that may have existed until 2003, Iran maintains that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
