Sending IAEA Inspectors to Iran Risky Due to US Attacks, Russian Envoy Says

Russia's envoy to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, has said that sending IAEA inspectors to Iran carries significant risk in light of past US attacks, according to TASS.

Ulyanov criticised a draft resolution concerning Iran under discussion at the International Atomic Energy Agency, describing it as completely ill-conceived and useless. He argued that pressing ahead with the resolution in its current form would not serve the practical goal of ensuring effective nuclear oversight.

The Russian envoy's comments reflect Moscow's broader position within the IAEA, where it has frequently pushed back against resolutions and measures targeting Iran's nuclear programme, arguing that such steps can undermine diplomatic engagement rather than advance non-proliferation goals.

Ulyanov's remarks about the risk to inspectors come against the backdrop of prior military strikes attributed to the United States affecting Iranian nuclear-related sites, which Moscow has cited as complicating the security environment for any international inspection activity in the country.

The IAEA has not issued a public response to Ulyanov's specific characterisation of the draft resolution. Discussions over Iran's nuclear programme and the scope of international inspections remain a recurring point of contention among the agency's member states.

Further deliberation on the resolution is expected as IAEA member states continue to negotiate its terms.