Mohammad Eslami, Iran's vice president for nuclear affairs and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, will not be able to speak at the opening of the International Atomic Energy Agency's general conference in Vienna after Austria denied him entry, a decision that followed pressure from the Trump administration. With Iran's most senior envoy unable to speak as the conference opens, a lower-ranking delegate may address the gathering later this week instead.
Eslami had been scheduled to speak at the U.N. nuclear watchdog on the 13th but was refused entry to Austria, Bloomberg reported on the 14th. Iran's Mehr News Agency had reported on the 12th that Eslami left Tehran to attend the conference.
According to a U.S. official, the United Nations requested a sanctions waiver that would have allowed Eslami to enter Austria, but the request was denied at Washington's insistence. His attendance and an opening address could have been seen as the international community extending credibility to Iran.
The war that the United States and Israel have waged against Iran over its nuclear weapons program is in its seventh month. President Donald Trump has said the campaign is essential to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Washington has repeatedly warned Tehran against developing or possessing such weapons.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright will instead use the occasion to deliver a warning to Iran. Wright is expected to stress that the U.S. position is clear: Iran must never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon. According to an administration official who asked not to be identified, Wright will say that Iran must cooperate fully with the IAEA, meet its safeguards obligations and provide the access the agency needs to carry out its mission.
The move follows an IAEA warning that it had observed construction activity at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site, a heavily fortified facility believed to house nuclear-related work. Trump recently said there was "a little bit of activity" at Pickaxe and warned Iran not to play games, saying otherwise the United States would strike very hard.
Wright also plans to emphasize the reason the IAEA was created, noting that its purpose extends beyond nuclear security to verifying safeguards and providing peaceful nuclear technology to member states. He is expected to call on the agency to prioritize operational efficiency and ensure that every dollar contributed by member states goes toward upholding the fundamental commitments that underpin the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
