Foreign media want to "warm up" the situation around the Iranian atom before the next session of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Earlier, Bloomberg reported, citing two unnamed diplomatic sources, that IAEA inspectors had found particles with an 84% enrichment degree in Iran.
“Unfortunately, such things as 'leaks' of sensitive information in the media are not uncommon. This is done largely for obvious political reasons — to complicate the situation around Iran and its nuclear program. So now, Bloomberg sources decided to 'heat up' the situation on the eve the upcoming session of the IAEA Board of Governors [to be held in Vienna from March 6 to 10]. Or maybe the task, in addition to this, was to disrupt the plans of the IAEA Director General to visit Tehran. Rafael Grossi has repeatedly stated the importance of such a trip now," Ulyanov said.
"You can't go along with the 'stuffing' that some media operate on and whip up passions, taking into account the sensitivity of the situation around the topic of the Iranian atom, you need to wait for the conclusions of experts," Ulyanov added.
"If we talk about this situation in terms of the JCPOA, then it is a clear demonstration of the importance of its speedy restoration," the envoy said.
According to Ulyanov, the agency's sources demonstrate "the hypocritical position of the Western participants in the Vienna talks", since "if the nuclear deal is revived, the problem with uranium enrichment will disappear by itself — Tehran simply will not be able to produce material with an enrichment level above 3.67%, as it was, in fact, before the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018."
"It is surprising that, despite this, Western colleagues tirelessly and publicly repeat concerns about the expansion of the Iranian nuclear program. The issue can be resolved peacefully, diplomatically, without unnecessary drama, threats and blackmail. So the concerns that they splash out on the audience, in fact, resemble 'crocodile tears,'" the permanent representative added.