Austria Blocks Iranian Nuclear Chief From IAEA Conference

The Government of Austria denied entry to Mohammad Eslami, Iran's vice president for nuclear affairs and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, blocking him from addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference in Vienna. The decision followed pressure from the United States, which opposed a UN-requested sanctions waiver for Eslami. The travel ban is part of broader UN sanctions reimposed by France, Britain, and Germany after Iran departed from the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran responded by summoning Austria's charge d'affaires in Tehran. Reza Najafi, Iran's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, called the exclusion a "serious violation" of Iran's rights and a breach of the IAEA Headquarters Agreement. The diplomatic clash occurs as the IAEA reports being "completely blind" to Iran's nuclear program since June 2025, when the United States and Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites. The watchdog remains unable to verify a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright is scheduled to address the forum to demand that Iran fully cooperate with the IAEA and meet its safeguards obligations. This follows warnings from President Donald Trump regarding construction activity at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site, which he cautioned Tehran not to use for nuclear activity.