Shafaqna Pakistan: Iran has accused Austria of attempting to silence Tehran by refusing to issue a visa to its nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, preventing him from attending the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual conference in Vienna.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the decision as “absolutely unjustified”, saying Tehran had formally lodged a protest by summoning Austria’s chargé d’affaires.
“On the one hand, they accuse a country, issue a resolution, prepare false reports, and then deny the country’s representatives permission to defend themselves,” Baghaei said.
He maintained that the Iranian delegation had the right to participate in the IAEA meeting and criticised the decision to prevent its representatives from presenting Tehran’s position.
Austria, however, said it was required to deny Eslami entry after a UN Security Council committee rejected a request for an exemption from his travel ban, according to Austrian officials.
Eslami, who heads Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, had been due to attend the IAEA’s annual gathering in Vienna, but was unable to take part after the visa issue.
Iranian officials have accused Washington of exerting pressure over the decision, while Austria has maintained that the travel restriction stemmed from UN sanctions.
Source: Geo News
