TEHRAN- Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saied Iravani, has said that his country maintains a constructive relationship with the UN nuclear agency regarding efforts to resolve any outstanding issues, adding that facts should not be distorted when addressing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

Iravani was speaking on Thursday in New York at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on a report by the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The following is the full text of the Iranian envoy’s speech at the session.

I appreciate the IAEA Director-General's report and I should emphasize on the need to more professional and impartial reports.

Nuclear power is crucial for meeting energy needs with low carbon impact, especially in developing countries. The transfer of nuclear knowledge and technology to these nations, as per NPT and IAEA statutes, is vital. Safeguards should support nuclear science and technology advancement without hindering NPT States' rights or sovereignty. Exploiting nuclear proliferation concerns to restrict these rights is unacceptable.

It's concerning that some states continue to deny developing countries access to nuclear technology, violating IAEA and NPT statutes, while some are generously supporting this Israeli regime even with its clandestine WMD arsenals. Unilateral coercive measures and double standards harm peaceful nuclear energy use and technical cooperation.

Regarding Iran's peaceful program, it's important to note that the IAEA conducts robust and continuous verification and monitoring activities in Iran's nuclear facilities. We expect that such continuous and deep cooperation with the IAEA by the Islamic Republic of Iran in good faith is duly recognized. It should also be emphasized that Iran is entitled to utilize its rights as outlined in our Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) with the IAEA concerning the admission of inspectors and other related issues. We maintain a constructive relationship with the IAEA and its secretariat, aiming to resolve any outstanding issues.

However, it is crucial to underscore that when addressing Iran's peaceful nuclear program, the facts should not be distorted or presented selectively. Of particular importance is the illegal withdrawal of the U.S. from the JCPOA in 2018, which certain delegations seem intentionally overlooking it. As we have consistently pointed out, there must be a clear distinction between the legal obligations of Member States under their respective safeguards’ agreements and their voluntary commitments. 
The verification and monitoring activities related to the JCPOA are voluntary and are not linked to the CSA. Therefore, it is entirely baseless and unacceptable to repeatedly attempt to connect them to alleged issues.

Another important fact is that all of Iran's nuclear materials and activities have been fully declared and verified by the IAEA. The Islamic Republic of Iran, with the highest number of safeguards inspections of its peaceful nuclear program, has a commendable record of cooperation with the IAEA.

The Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran have close working relationships in a variety of areas. As the Agency has verified and confirmed on several occasions, there is no proof of diversion of declared nuclear material or activities in Iran.

However, the Agency's impartiality, independence, and professionalism should never be jeopardized in the context of the safeguard obligations nor influenced by certain parties so all states would enjoy their enshrined rights in the IAEA’s Statute.

The Zionist regime by committing the most barbaric crimes is slaughtering the defenseless Palestinians. Along with its other negative roles in the region, it has cowardly assassinated our nuclear scientists and sabotaged Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities. These horrific terrorist acts must be categorically condemned by the world community. This regime must be held responsible and none of those atrocities should be treated with impunity.

Concurrent with the international condemnation of the Israeli regime for threatening to use nuclear weapons, just in less than two months against Iran and lately against Gaza, we categorically condemn this regime for both the possession of weapons of mass destruction and the threat to use them.

The Israeli regime has been refusing to sign up for the NPT and abide by the comprehensive safeguards of the IAEA. The Agency must deal with this regime with an unbiased and professional approach. The time to disarm this regime and bring peace and security to the region is now.