In a firm joint declaration issued Monday, Britain, France, and Germany strongly condemned what they described as threats directed at Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urging Iran to fully safeguard the safety of the agency's personnel operating within its borders.
The statement, released by the foreign ministries of the three European powers, reaffirmed unwavering support for the IAEA and its chief, stating, "France, Germany, and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, and reiterate our full support for the Agency and its leadership in fulfilling their mandate."
The three nations also called on Iran to immediately resume full cooperation with the nuclear watchdog in accordance with its legally binding international obligations, and to take concrete steps to guarantee the security of IAEA staff.
Though the statement did not detail the nature of the threats against Grossi, tensions between Iran and the IAEA have escalated in the wake of recent hostilities. Responding on Monday, Iran asserted it could not be expected to ensure the safety of IAEA inspectors so soon after Israeli and U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities during a brief but intense 12-day conflict that concluded with a ceasefire last week.
"How can we be asked to protect inspectors when our peaceful nuclear installations were just attacked?" Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said during a press briefing. He criticized the IAEA’s silence on the strikes, accusing the agency of failing to denounce the assaults.
Baghaei also referenced a recent Iranian parliamentary bill, approved by the Guardian Council, which compels the government to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear body in response to recent developments. He argued that Iran cannot be held to account under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when its nuclear facilities have been targeted and the IAEA has, in his view, failed to take a balanced stance.
Earlier this month, the IAEA board passed a resolution declaring that Iran was violating its NPT commitments, a move Tehran claims gave political cover for the Israeli strikes. The diplomatic standoff now threatens to further unravel the already strained relationship between Tehran and the international nuclear oversight regime.