On Friday, the UN nuclear agency's Board of Governors passed a resolution -- put forward by Britain, France and Germany -- to push for intrusive inspections of two Iranian nuclear sites that the trio claims may have been used for undeclared nuclear activities in the early 2000s.
Succumbing to Washington’s pressure, the three European countries -- parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- have so far failed to honor their commitments under a landmark agreement and offset the impacts of US sanctions, which were re-imposed on Iran following the US' unilateral withdrawal from the deal in May 2018.
“E3 must stop public face-saving & muster the courage to state publicly what they admit privately: their failure to fulfill even own JCPOA duties due to total impotence in resisting US bullying,” Zarif tweeted on Friday.
“Behind facade, E3 are accessories to Trump & Netanyahu—& in no position to counsel Iran,” he added.
The Islamic Republic rejects any allegations of non-cooperation with the IAEA, insisting that it is prepared to resolve potentially outstanding differences with the IAEA.
Earlier in the day, Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran’s permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations, hailed efforts made especially by Russia and China, who objected to the “unconstructive path” taken against Iran by voting against the resolution.
The IAEA resolution was passed by 25 votes in favor, two against, and seven abstentions.