In an e xclusive interview with the Tasnim News Agency, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Roman Ustinov, expressed serious concern over Western attempts to adopt a new resolution against Iran at the upcoming November session of the IAEA Board of Governors, warning that such a move would destroy the slow but steady progress achieved between Iran and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
The full text of the interview is as follows:
Tasnim: After the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and the E3 attempt to activate the snapback, we witnessed actions by the three countries of Iran, Russia, and China, and numerous joint meetings and letters were organized by the three countries. Please tell us specifically what actions have been taken so far and have these joint actions been effective?
Ustinov: Overall we have to say that, in our view, these joint actions, as well as our countries’ individual work, have been effective. Those efforts demonstrate a high degree of coordination between Russia, Iran and China, but also they serve as an important tool to counter non-constructive narrative and initiatives of the Western countries. This format has proven to be a strong mechanism and an instrument in delivering our arguments.
Tasnim: Does the IAEA have specific guidelines to address cases where nuclear facilities of NPT members have been attacked? And what’s your take on Iran’s demand to handle this illegal attack?
Ustinov: The IAEA doesn’t have such specific guidelines. However, dealing with this issue falls directly within the IAEA mandate. We’ve been insisting on this consistently. Resolutions 444 and 533 of the IAEA General Conference provide, inter alia, that any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency.
However, over the course of the last five months we heard quite concerning statements from some countries, including assertions that “the IAEA Statute does not prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities”. This is a profound misinterpretation of reality. The IAEA must conduct its activities in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations, which are clear on that matter.
We also do not hide the fact that we are dissatisfied with how the IAEA Secretariat, its management and policy-making organs handled attacks by Israel and the US against Iran’s nuclear facilities under the IAEA safeguards. The lack of clear pronounced position condemning these illegal actions sets a very dangerous precedent. It normalizes such attacks: the perpetrators now know that if they do it again – they can get away with it. So our take on Iran’s demands to handle these attacks is that this is an absolutely reasonable and justifiable request, and the IAEA must have acted upon it.
Tasnim: We witnessed that Iran and the IAEA had reached an agreement in Cairo on a new way of cooperation, which was destroyed after the E3 took action against Iran in the United Nations Security Council and issued a resolution. How destructive do you consider this action by the three European countries to be?
Ustinov: Extremely destructive. Our position on snapback is known – the E3 had no legal right to resort to it, and their claims of having done so are null and void for the reasons that have been numerously outlined in our formal communications in New York. What also bothers us is that the E3 completely lost sight of any end goal of their so-called strategy. We are having hard times understanding what it is that they want to achieve except for pressure for the sake of pressure. And against this backdrop their claims about ‘staying committed to diplomacy’ sound quite preposterous.
Tasnim: Given the failure to address Iran’s demand for the IAEA to condemn the attack on its nuclear facilities, as well as the illegal action of E3 countries in activating the snapback, do you think Grossi’s demands for a full inspection of Iran are fair?
Ustinov: We operate in an extremely complex setting. For the first time we face such a situation with the IAEA safeguards implementation in a Member State of the Agency. The international community should be cognizant of reasons and root causes for that, and fully support Iran in its pursuit of just and fair approach in and by the IAEA to this catastrophic situation that it endured. At the same time, the IAEA Director General is guided by the legal obligations of Member States and the Agency under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. In this context we believe it is very important that before the November session of the IAEA Board of Governors the Director General acknowledged Iran’s security concerns and stressed his disposition to engage with Iran on the basis of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and Iran’s domestic legislation, that he believes are not mutually exclusive. This commitment lays a promising foundation for further engagement.
Tasnim: Considering the Board of Governors meeting and the current cooperation between Iran and IAEA, how does Russia view the situation?
Ustinov: We are very concerned that the E3 and the US are trying to push for another resolution against Iran at the November session of the Board of Governors. This risks nullifying all the progress that Iran and the Director General achieved in slowly rebuilding trust between each other. Such efforts must be supported and fostered, not undermined with yet another provocative action – which will most probably be the case shall the resolution be adopted. However, it seems like the Western countries are unable to listen to reason and to develop a sound and realistic strategy to engage Iran. Russia welcomes the ongoing engagement between Tehran and the IAEA Secretariat, and we call upon all sides to be guided by this spirit and focus their energy on these positive developments.