Iranian nuclear chief: Tehran takes ‘biased’ European inspectors off the list

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami put the number of the delisted inspectors at “three or four”, explaining that the number is a tiny fraction of the total 127 approved inspectors, however he stopped short of calling them “expelled.”

Eslami rebuked the IAEA inspectors for the psychological warfare against Iran for politically-oriented goals, while “Iran has complied with all of the articles stipulated in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the West.

The remarks come weeks after a spat between Iran and the IAEA after Tehran withdrew the designation of eight French and German inspectors in response to a statement by the IAEA’s Board of Governors, sponsored by the UK, France and Germany and the United States, that accused Iran of non-compliance with its safeguards commitments.

Iran slammed the move as “hostile” and “unconstructive”, saying it came “despite Iran’s positive, constructive and continuous interaction with the IAEA.”