Iran summoned the Austrian chargé d’affaires on Monday after his government refused to allow Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, to enter Austria to attend an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna.
Iran criticizes Austria’s visa decision
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the refusal to issue visas to the Iranian delegation as “an entirely unjustifiable decision.” He accused the United States of pressuring Vienna to make the decision, stressing that this did not relieve the Austrian government of responsibility. The diplomatic move comes amid tensions over monitoring Iran’s nuclear program.
Tehran has not allowed International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to return to sites that came under attack, including three uranium-enrichment facilities that were destroyed or severely damaged in military strikes. Iran has also provided no explanation regarding the status of its enriched uranium stockpile, part of which had reached an enrichment level of 60 percent.
