Iran Urges IAEA to Avoid Politicizing its Nuclear Program

Iran's Vice-President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif speaks during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Iran's Vice-President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif speaks during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Iran Urges IAEA to Avoid Politicizing its Nuclear Program

Iran's Vice-President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif speaks during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Iran's Vice-President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif speaks during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Iran has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to maintain its technical cooperation with the country and refrain from politicizing technical issues.

The Iranian request came shortly after Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif said Washington's flexibility would leave room for negotiations.

“Iran and the IAEA must continue their cooperation in a technical and forward-looking environment,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday during a telephone conversation with the agency’s chief, Rafael Grossi.

The Foreign Minister urged the IAEA to act within the framework of its responsibilities and continue cooperation with Iran in “a technical atmosphere,” away from “unjustified pressure” exerted by some countries.

The semi-official Mehr news agency said Araghchi reiterated his country’s determination to continue cooperation with the IAEA within the framework of its international obligations, stressing the agency needs to avoid politicization.

Iran earlier said Israel and the US would be “crazy” to attack its nuclear facilities, adding it would spell a “very bad disaster” for the region. Tehran also said that the new US administration should work to win back Iran’s trust if it wants a new round of nuclear negotiations.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said he wished to avoid military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, hoping instead for an agreement.

On Wednesday, Iranian newspaper Jomhouri-e Eslami, which is close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said the statements of regime officials signal that the willingness of Iran to negotiate has become greater than ever.

It added that in such case, there is hope for a breakthrough in foreign policy issues.

For his part, Javad Zarif criticized the US influence on his country's foreign policy, calling it an obstacle that must be removed.

Speaking at a conference in Tehran, titled Prospects of Regional and Global Developments in the Trump Era, Zarif said: “I do not view the United States as an opportunity for Iran's foreign policy; I see it as an obstacle.”

According to Mehr, he said Trump's focus on reviving hard power through economic pressure—such as tariffs and visa restrictions—was emblematic of his administration's approach to global dominance.

The Iranian Vice President added that Trump divided countries into “smaller nations that must show loyalty and other peer nations that do not.”

This dynamic, he suggested, “weakened the notion of stable alliances, replacing them with temporary, issue-based coalitions.”

Zarif also addressed perceptions of Iran’s weakened state, refuting that it posed a greater nuclear threat.

“They argue that military action is the only way to stop Iran,” he said, but added that Trump’s flexibility might leave room for negotiations.

After Trump's victory in the US presidential election, sources close to him said his administration will return to the ‘maximum pressure’ measures against Tehran. They also spoke about a possible military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.



Trump, Britain's Starmer Meet at the White House

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a welcome reception at the UK ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C., US Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a welcome reception at the UK ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C., US Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS
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Trump, Britain's Starmer Meet at the White House

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a welcome reception at the UK ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C., US Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a welcome reception at the UK ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C., US Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at the White House on Thursday for their first in-person talks since the Republican leader upended US policy on Ukraine, the Middle East and global trade.

Starmer is the second European leader to meet Trump this week after French President Emmanuel Macron came to the White House on Monday for a friendly encounter that displayed stark differences about Russia's war with Ukraine and the US push for a quick ceasefire.

Trump, who came into office on Jan. 20, has shocked traditional US allies in Europe by drawing closer to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a 'dictator', and demanding payback for US financial support for Kyiv, according to Reuters.

Zelenskiy is expected to be in Washington on Friday to sign an agreement with Trump on rare earth minerals, a deal the Ukrainian leader said would hinge on further US aid. Trump portrays the deal as a way to recoup American money that has been spent to support Ukraine. It includes no specific security guarantees for Ukraine, a US official said.

Starmer on Wednesday urged the United States to provide a security "backstop" for any European forces that take part in a potential peacekeeping role in Ukraine, saying that would offer Kyiv a lasting peace rather than a temporary pause in violence.

He has signaled that Britain will increase defense spending and is expected to try to reassure the US president that Europe will provide support and security guarantees to Kyiv if peace talks with Russia are successful. A senior Trump administration official told reporters they were pleased with Starmer's pledges to increase defense spending.

Trump has shattered foreign policy and domestic policy norms since the start of his second term, rattling allies by advocating for US ownership of the Gaza Strip and by promising trade tariffs on US friends and foes alike.

Trade was expected to be a topic between the two leaders as the US president demands more reciprocity from US partners, according to the Trump aide.

"We would want any economic relationship with the UK to be based on reciprocal and equal trade," he said.

Trump's relationship with Starmer got off to a friendly start in September with a two-hour dinner in New York at Trump Tower. The British leader's team said the atmosphere was warm with the "gracious host" offering foreign minister David Lammy a second helping of chicken.

Like Macron, Starmer will argue that a rushed peace deal with Russia, without the participation of Ukraine or European nations, might lead to further instability in Europe, which would not be good for the United States.

Starmer has said he is open to British troops providing security guarantees to Ukraine but only alongside other European nations and with "the right conditions in place."

European countries are concerned about the high level of conflict in Ukraine now, the US official said, while a ceasefire would give them more comfort that their role is more about peacekeeping than deterring active conflict.

"The type of force depends very much on the political settlement that is made to end the war," the US official said. "That trade-off is part of what the leaders today are going to be discussing."