Monday, 14/09/2026   
   Beirut 20:34

Austria Denies Visa to Iran’s Nuclear Chief for IAEA Conference

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami in an image from archive.

Austria denied visa to Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami, preventing him from attending an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference in Vienna, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported.

Eslami, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), and his accompanying delegation had planned to travel to Vienna on Saturday but later returned to Tehran, according to IRIB.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baghaei said Austria should have issued entry visas to the Iranian delegation, adding that the Austrian chargé d’affaires in Tehran has been summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where Iran has formally conveyed its protest.

“All of this is contradictory. On the one hand, they (Westerners) prepare an incorrect report, and on the other, they prevent representatives of a country from entering to defend themselves,” he said.

“They are seeking to prevent Iran’s voice from reaching the world. Austria’s claim that it took this action under US pressure does not relieve the host government of its responsibility,” the spokesman added.

Commenting on efforts to pursue a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors, Baghaei said responsibility for any participation in an internationally wrongful act is not something that disappears with the passage of time.

“We use every opportunity to explain the issues,” he said.

The Iranian spokesperson expressed regret that, despite the issue having been repeated twice, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has once again allowed the process of forming a resolution to proceed.

Source: Iranian media