Germany condemns Iran's withdrawal of accreditation from 8 IAEA inspectors

Germany condemns Iran's decision to revoke the accreditation of eight International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, a representative of the German Foreign Ministry told journalists at a briefing, Report informs via TASS.

"The Director General of the IAEA (Rafael Grossi) has spoken out on this matter. Together with him, we condemn this move in the strongest possible terms," he said. According to him, Tehran's decision is a step “in a completely wrong direction”, which once again emphasizes the importance of efforts to prevent the threat of the Iranian nuclear program.

Earlier, Fars News reported that Iran had revoked the accreditation of eight IAEA specialists who monitored Tehran's compliance with its nuclear program obligations. According to the news agency, these inspectors are citizens of Germany and France.

On the same day, Grossi said Tehran had informed the organization of its decision to revoke the accreditation of several inspectors conducting checks at uranium enrichment facilities. He did not give their exact number then. Grossi noted that the move would greatly reduce the agency's ability to carry out inspections in the country. The head of the IAEA condemned Tehran's actions and called on the republic's authorities to cooperate.

Commenting on this decision by Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani noted that the United States and three European countries “abused the powers of the Board of Governors” of the IAEA for political purposes. The diplomat added that Iran will continue to cooperate with the agency within the framework of existing agreements.