TEHERAN, Sept 7 (NNN-XINHUA) – Iran will not bow to “unlawful” demands of the West, including certain European states, which are aimed at depriving the country of its “inalienable” nuclear rights, a senior diplomat said.
“As long as we are a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), we should be able to enjoy our rights,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, referring to the right of all NPT signatories, to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. “Iran is not going to bow to their unlawful demands.”
He made the remarks after France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, announced on Aug 28 that, they had notified the UN Security Council (UNSC) of their decision to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, thus preparing the ground for the re-imposition of previously lifted UN sanctions on Iran.
The E3 have argued that their decision to trigger the mechanism was based on “clear factual evidence” of Iran’s non-performance of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including its rollback of monitoring measures by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The denied IAEA access came, after Israel launched major airstrikes in June on Iran, with a focus on its nuclear sites, during which the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, under the supervision of the IAEA.– NNN-XINHUA
