Iran has escalated its dispute with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing its inspectors of using slanderous language and presenting false and recycled information, according to a legal brief cited by Bloomberg.
The 19-page document, circulated to diplomats ahead of a key IAEA meeting on June 9, reflects deepening tensions as Western nations consider referring Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations.
The Iranian brief is a response to a May 31 IAEA report that raised concerns about Tehran’s possession of confidential agency documents.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi wrote that “Conclusive evidence of highly-confidential documents belonging to the agency having been actively collected and analyzed by Iran raises serious concerns regarding Iran’s spirit of collaboration and may undermine the effective application of safeguards in Iran.”
Iran rejected the accusation and claimed Grossi had overstepped his authority.
