Iran won’t let IAEA breach legal frameworks: parliament speaker

TEHRAN — The speaker of Iran’s parliament has deplored the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors for succumbing to U.S. pressure and passing an anti-Iran resolution, saying the Islamic Republic will never allow the IAEA to violate its legal frameworks. “The past 17 years have shown that Iran has always had the best cooperation with the agency in terms of its international regulations and national interests, but often has gained nothing in return except for more hostility and ransom demands,” Mehr quoted Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as saying during an open session of the parliament on Sunday. “But we will not allow the agency to trample [the Islamic Republic’s] rights and violate the legal frameworks,” Ghalibaf said, adding that Tehran will take the appropriate response to the new move. Noting that such pressures are aimed at bringing Iran to the negotiating table to serve the interests of the U.S. and the Israeli regime, he reiterated Iran’s firm stance and diplomacy of active resistance. He added that Tehran will never allow Washington and Tel Aviv to materialize their goals in the regional and international arenas. ‘Talks with U.S. poisonous, harmful’ He added that Iran has never been against negotiations with other countries, however, “We believe talks with the U.S. are poisonous and harmful.” The new parliament speaker also rebuked the European countries that sponsored the anti-Iran resolution at the IAEA board, saying any future talks with the Europeans will also be held with “maximum distrust”. On Friday, the IAEA Agency’s Board of Governors adopted a resolution drafted by the UK, France, and Germany calling on Iran to grant the IAEA access to two locations amid allegations of undeclared nuclear activities. China and Russia opposed the resolution and seven countries including South Africa, Niger, Mongolia, Thailand, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Pakistan and India also abstained to vote. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s ambassador to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Friday, “Iran categorically deplores this resolution and will take appropriate action in response, the repercussions of which would be upon the sponsors of this resolution.” He also said, “Considering the extensive level of constructive cooperation between Iran and the Agency and simply overlooking this level of cooperation, adoption of this resolution aimed at requesting Iran to cooperate with the Agency is deeply disappointing.” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that the three European countries are absolutely powerless against the U.S. coercion. “E3 must stop public face-saving and muster the courage to state publicly what they admit privately, their failure to fulfill even own JCPOA duties due to total impotence in resisting the US bullying behind the facade, E3 are accessories to Trump and Netanyahu—and in no position to counsel Iran,” Zarif said via Twitter.