IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi gives a speech in Vienna, Austria on November 19, 2025. [Salih Okuroğlu – Anadolu Agency]
Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, accused International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi on Thursday of passing information to Iran’s adversaries, amid renewed tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Speaking to Russian broadcaster RT, Eslami criticized Grossi’s conduct and questioned the neutrality of the international nuclear watchdog.
“The Director General of the IAEA has effectively become an operative for our enemy and their obedient follower, passing information on to them,” Eslami said.
The IAEA had not commented on the allegations at the time of the report.
Eslami argued that such conduct represented a misuse of the authority granted to international organizations and undermined confidence in their independence and credibility.
He also said the alleged practices exposed weaknesses in the international institutional framework, including the United Nations Charter and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
His remarks followed threats by US President Donald Trump to target Jabal al-Fas, a mountain in Iran overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said Tuesday evening that Washington could strike the mountain if certain activities were detected there.
Responding to the warning, Eslami described the threat as a sign of American helplessness.
The exchange comes amid renewed military tensions between Iran and the United States following a conflict that began on 28th February with US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
A ceasefire was reached in April, but confrontations between Washington and Tehran resumed in July as negotiations stalled.
The renewed hostilities followed a memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides in mid-June, which failed to prevent further escalation.
READ: Ehud Barak warns Netanyahu may attack Iran to obstruct formation of new government
250 couples celebrate mass wedding in Gaza
‘Lula must turn his support for Palestine into concrete action,’ Brazilian analyst tells MEMO
Kafr Qasim at 70: The massacre Israel still hasn’t owned up to
Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Jeremy Corbyn: A Nation Mutinies: Can Trump Survive His Own War?
Gaza faces worsening shelter crisis as winter approaches, with over 162,000 tents unusable
