Gharibabadi: Iran’s nuclear enrichment program has no military objectives

Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs says the Islamic Republic's nuclear enrichment program has no military objectives and the development of its nuclear program is in line with technical needs.

Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a tweet he posted on X on Tuesday in response to an interview by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency who said, "Iran is enriching uranium close to military levels and is rapidly moving towards becoming a nuclear state."

"The JCPOA is no longer relevant and a new understanding is needed to take into account the realities of Iran's nuclear program," Grossi added. 

In response, Gharibabadi said, “First, the Director General of a specialized organization is expected to speak based on facts and technical reports from the Agency's inspectors. Reading intentions based on hypothetical scenarios is not part of the Director General's duties and is contrary to the letter and spirit of the Agency's statute.”

“Second, the development of Iran's nuclear program is in line with technical needs and is being carried out fully under the Agency's safeguards supervision,” he stated.

“Third, respect for the decisions and policies of countries in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including the fuel cycle (enrichment), is recognized in relevant international documents, and these statements by the Director General, which are tinged with political flavor, cannot ignore these facts,” he stated.

“Fourth, Iran's enrichment program has no military objectives. Regarding the level of enrichment, it should also be noted that enrichment is not restricted under the Non-Proliferation Treaty as long as it is under the supervision of the Agency and does not deviate from peaceful purposes,” Gharibabadi said.

“The Director General's statements are a clear violation of the rights of countries in creating an artificial threshold in the level of enrichment for peaceful purposes, deepening other discriminations in the non-proliferation regime,” he said.

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“Fifth and finally, what Grossi’s statements never mentioned is the root cause of the current situation, which was the failure of the other parties to fulfill their obligations under the JCPOA and the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from it,” he noted.  

“Not mentioning this issue in a biased manner undermines the international community’s trust in the UN institutions in correctly explaining the facts by the highest relevant authorities,” he said.  

“From this perspective, regardless of whether the JCPOA is relevant or not, it should be noted that constructive and fair talks based on mutual respect and balanced commitments, including in the area of ​​lifting sanctions, will be a sustainable solution,” he stated.

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