TEHRAN – The acting Foreign Minister of Iran has called on Western nations to support the preservation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a purely technical organization and to refrain from exploiting the UN agency for their own political agendas.

“The IAEA should not turn into a place for political settlement. The agency is a technical institution, and it is expected that all countries, including the member states of the Board of Governors, will deal with the agency based on a technical approach,” Ali Baqeri Kani told reporters on the sidelines of a Wednesday cabinet when asked about a recent anti-Iran IAEA resolution before its adoption.

The resolution submitted by Germany, Britain, and France accuses Iran of a lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. It was passed by a vote of 20 in favor and 2 against with 12 abstentions.

“The destructive approach of some member countries in using the agency's capacity for their political goals will definitely be detrimental to the identity, role, and expertise of the agency,” Baqeri added. The diplomat also noted that Iran has capacities in line with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that it has not yet activated.

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, previously warned that Tehran would firmly respond if the anti-Iran resolution is approved.

Europe has repeatedly accused Tehran of not abiding by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal struck in 2016 that limits Iran’s nuclear program in return for the termination of sanctions.

Washington unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed heavy and debilitating sanctions against Iran. European signatories to the deal namely Germany, Britain, and France have not left the pact officially, but have proceeded to cease all trade with Iran.

Iranian officials have been questioning the logic of having to adhere to the JCPOA when the pact’s Western signatories refuse to comply with it.