Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani denied Iran’s threat or call on the implementation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi.
In an interview with CBS News’ “Facing the Country”, Iravani was asked on Saturday about Secretary of State Marco Rubio, warning that “Iran’s call for Grossi’s arrest and execution “is unacceptable and should be condemned.”
“To be clear, is Iran threatening the UN inspector?” host Margaret Brennan asked Iravani.
“No, no[t] Any threat. “Iravani said, adding that cooperation with the IAEA has been suspended, but no[t] Any threat to the IAEA General Director. ”
Iravani insists that Iran will criticize the IAEA, but suggests that any threats come from a personal level and will not reflect the general view of the government.
“Maybe some people – individual – may criticize the opinions of the IAEA or the people who threaten the general directors,” he said. “But we criticize the IAEA. Our assessment is that they are not done with the work.”
Iravani also assured Brennan that the inspectors were safe but they could not resume the inspection.
“They are in Iran. They are in security, but the activity has been suspended,” he said. “They are unable to access our website.”
When Brennan asked Iravani whether he condemned the call for execution of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Iranian envoy said, “Yes,” and then said something unaware.
Rubio issued a statement on Saturday calling on Iranian officials to condemn the call for Grossi to execute.
He wrote: “We support LAEA’s critical verification and monitoring work in Iran and commend the dedication and professionalism of the General and LAEA. We call on Iran to provide the safety and security of IAEA personnel.”
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