The representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) described, as “meaningless,” Tehran’s demand in the current circumstances to implement the Agency’s safeguards without conditions, and reacted to statements by Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General, regarding the interruption of inspectors’ access.

Grossi, at a meeting of the Board of Governors, said that the Agency has not had access to Iran’s nuclear facilities for about a year and has not received information about the status of nuclear materials and facilities. He called the lack of the possibility of verification a source of “serious concern from the standpoint of nuclear proliferation.”

The representative of the Islamic Republic said that after attacks by the United States and Israel, the Agency had removed its inspectors from Iran “for safety reasons,” and urged the institution to stop “reporting influenced by political issues.”

The representative said that Grossi should first ask the United States and Israel to stop attacks—or threats of attacks—on Iran’s nuclear facilities so that the conditions for implementing safeguards are in place, and added that until then, Tehran has the right to “protect its national interests.”