Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday the only solution to preventing Iran's nuclear program from being treated as a problem lies in recognizing Iran's rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In his weekly press conference, Baghaei said as a signatory to the treaty, Iran has fulfilled its commitments and is determined to exercise its rights.
The Iranian spokesperson was asked about the US administration's contradictory policy, which is a mix of diplomacy and threats.
“This contradiction cannot be justified; it has no rational logic. It only confirms that the nuclear file was for the US a pretext to exert pressure on the Iranian people,” he said.
Baghaei noted that “all of Iran's nuclear facilities - such as Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan - have always been under IAEA supervision and inspections.”
He said the recent inspection disruption resulted from “military aggression and criminal actions by the US and the Zionist regime,” criticizing the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council for failing to acknowledge or condemn the attacks.
The spokesperson said the IAEA cannot ask to inspect facilities damaged by military attacks, and subject to radiation risks and leaks of radioactive material, noting that the Agency has no inspection protocol for such situations.
He added that Iran reached an understanding with the IAEA last September after three rounds of talks, but “the other side undermined the process.”
Responding to comments from a senior US Defense Department official warning that unilateral US actions risk collapsing the global non-proliferation regime, Baghaei said the statement reflected reality.
“The United States itself poses the greatest challenge to preserving the non-proliferation system due to its double-standard policies,” he said.
Concerning Iran’s nuclear talks with the UK, France, and Germany, Baghaei noted that several cases show that the European trio, under US pressure, reneged on its commitments under the nuclear agreement and took actions that were not at all supportive of the continuation of the negotiations.
“Repeating the phrase ‘We are ready to negotiate’, does not change the fact that the other side is not actually ready for talks,” he said.
