TEHRAN – An Iranian lawmaker who previously served as the top nuclear official of Iran has said that Russia and China will mitigate a resolution that the U.S. and its European allies are pushing for at the upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors (BoG). 

“The draft [resolution] will likely be tabled at [the meeting of] the Board of Governors but China and Russia will mitigate the severity of the resolution. However, since the majority of the Board of Governors is comprised of Western countries, they will present something that will neither have an impact on the [Vienna] negotiations nor on the country’s economy,” Fereydoun Abbasi told ICANA, adding that the resolution will only be in the form of a warning to Iran. 

He also called on the Iranian government to respond in kind, underlining that the Ebrahim Raisi administration should implement a nuclear law passed by Parliament that obligates the government to undertake certain nuclear measures in case the other side failed to implement its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Raisi administration should stand up to the West’s excessive demands, he said, noting that “we should presently increase enrichment to higher levels.”

Abbasi also criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), accusing it of hindering Iran’s nuclear progress. 

“The Agency which is supposed to render services to us and help Iran in the nuclear sphere has plagued the progress of the peaceful nuclear capabilities of Iran,” Abbasi, a nuclear physicist, said.

Iranian officials have warned against any move against Iran at the IAEA board meeting, which started on Monday. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has warned that those who push for adopting a resolution will be responsible for its consequences. 

“Exchanged views w/ @JosepBorrellF abt Vienna talks on removing sanctions & how to proceed.  Those who push for anti-Iran resolution at IAEA will be responsible for all the consequences,” he said on Twitter after a conversation with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell. 

He added, “We welcome a good, strong & lasting agreement. It's within reach if US/E3 are realistic.”

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warned about adopting a resolution at the IAEA board.

“We will naturally respond to any unconstructive move at the Board of Governors firmly and appropriately and those who view the board and the report of the Agency’s director-general as leverage for pressure and a tool for political games against Iran will be responsible for its consequences,” Khatibzadeh said in a statement after the IAEA released its latest report on the state of cooperation with Iran. 

The IAEA has accused Iran of not cooperating enough. France has called on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA. 
In reaction to the French Foreign Ministry’s stance on the UN atomic agency’s new report, Khatibzadeh said, “As said before, despite the fact that the Agency’s latest report does not reflect the reality about Iran’s interactions with the body at all, such hasty statements that are politically-motivated and ignore the Islamic Republic’s widespread and constructive technical cooperation with the Agency are meddlesome and worthless.”