Iran Accuses Austria of Rights Breach Over Denied IAEA Conference Visa

Iran has sharply criticised Austria for denying a visa to the head of its Atomic Energy Organization, calling the move a serious violation of Tehran's rights as a member state of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Speaking at the IAEA's annual general conference in Vienna, Iran's ambassador to the agency, Reza Najafi, said the refusal to admit Mohammad Eslami contravened both the letter and the spirit of the legal framework governing attendance at IAEA meetings. He argued that Austria, as the host country for the IAEA and other United Nations bodies, had failed in its obligations by declining to issue the visa.

Russia's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, backed Iran's position, saying Austria had grossly breached its duties as host nation. He accused Western countries of waging a campaign of visa-related abuses against states they consider undesirable.

Iran's Foreign Ministry also weighed in, with spokesperson Esmail Baghaei condemning the decision. He said Tehran had lodged a formal protest and summoned Austria's chargé d'affaires to convey its objection, insisting that Austria was required to grant the visa.

Austria pushed back, explaining that a UN Security Council sanctions committee had turned down its request to exempt Eslami from an existing travel ban. Christian Ebner, Austria's ambassador to the IAEA, said the country was therefore obliged to bar one member of the Iranian delegation from entering its territory.

As the seat of multiple international organisations, Austria can seek waivers from travel bans so that sanctioned officials may attend UN conferences in Vienna. The power to grant such exemptions lies with the Security Council's sanctions committee, which oversees punitive measures reinstated last year after France, Britain and Germany triggered the snapback mechanism, automatically restoring all UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

Those measures include a travel ban, an arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology. Iran, Russia and China reject the legality of the reinstated sanctions.

The US ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Preston Wells Griffith, said Washington had objected to the exemption request, leading to its rejection. He said that while the United States remains focused on a diplomatic solution to concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, it could not permit a UN-designated official to travel without meaningful cooperation on nuclear safeguards.

Tensions over Iran's nuclear file have deepened since Israel and the United States struck Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June 2025. Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors access to the affected sites since then, despite its legal obligation to cooperate with the watchdog under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The IAEA has also been unable to verify the status of a stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the June bombing. The agency says Iran holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 per cent purity, a short technical step from the 90 per cent level used in weapons.

Earlier this month, the IAEA's board adopted a resolution referring Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years, citing its failure to cooperate with a long-running investigation into uranium traces found by inspectors at undeclared sites. Western officials suspect the traces could indicate a secret nuclear weapons programme that ran until 2003. Iran maintains that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and that its programme is entirely peaceful.