TEHRAN - The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Ryabkov, has criticized the concerted campaign of the West against Iran in some international institutions.

Speaking at the Regional seminar, “Strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime”, held in Bishkek, Ryabkov said that Russia supports the safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), underlining that Western countries misuse the IAEA safeguards system.

“One of the central components of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and an important factor for the stability and viability of the NPT is the Treaty’s verification mechanism - the IAEA safeguards system,” Ryabkov said, adding, “Russia has always supported it. We are convinced that its effectiveness is based on ensuring the objective, depoliticized and technically justified application of such a mechanism strictly according to the safeguards agreements and protocols concluded between the Member States and the Agency. Any possible changes to the current functioning of the IAEA safeguards system can only be made with the approval of the policy-making organs of the Agency and its Member States.”

He noted, “We recognize the importance of universalization of the Additional Protocol to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, but at the same time we proceed from the voluntary nature of such obligations and from the inadmissibility of imposing them as a mandatory measure.”

The Russian diplomat stated, “Misuse of safeguard cases as a pretext for discriminating individual countries in terms of exercising their right to use nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes is unacceptable. Often, however, we see how biased accusations against the State Parties to the NPT appear and forged “country dossiers” are composed. They comprise a big part of discussions at NPT and IAEA meetings. An example of this is the coordinated campaign of Western countries against Syria and Iran.”

He continued, “As regards Iran and the fate of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we have always been in favor of preserving this mechanism and do not see any reasonable alternative to it. These fundamental agreements proved to be an effective solution to a long-standing problem and made it possible to ensure the necessary level of transparency of the Iranian nuclear program.”

Ryabkov also lashed out at the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. 

“Unfortunately, the US withdrawal from the ‘nuclear deal’ and Washington’s illegal actions undermining UN Security Council Resolution 2231 worsened proliferation risks. Sweeping criticism of Tehran’s actions only intensifies confrontation and poisons the atmosphere of trust, the existence of which is extremely important for the proper fulfillment of obligations by all concerned parties,” he said.