Iran’s nuclear representative blocked from UN conference
- Austria blocked Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami from attending the IAEA conference in Vienna following US pressure.
- US Energy Secretary Chris Wright will address the summit, reiterating that Iran must never obtain nuclear weapons.
- The denial follows IAEA reports of activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain site, drawing fresh warnings from US President Trump.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been blocked from attending and addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference in Vienna after Austria denied him an entry waiver following pressure from the Trump administration.
Mohammad Eslami, who also serves as Iran’s vice president for nuclear affairs, had been slated to address the UN nuclear watchdog’s opening session on Monday. Reports from Iran’s Mehr News Agency indicated that Eslami had already departed Tehran on Saturday to attend the gathering.
The denial of a UN-requested sanctions waiver for Eslami followed direct urging from the US government, according to a US official speaking on condition of anonymity. While a lower-level Iranian delegate may speak later in the week, the decision prevents Tehran’s senior nuclear official from taking the stage at the start of the conference.
Eslami’s early speaking slot could have been seen as lending credibility to Iran, seven months into a US and ‘Israeli’ war on the Islamic Republic that President Donald Trump maintains is essential to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.
Pickaxe Mountain activity
With Eslami barred from attending, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright is set to use the forum to reiterate Washington’s firm stance regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
According to advance speech excerpts, Wright is prepared to tell delegates that the US remains unequivocal: “Iran must never develop or obtain a nuclear weapon”. He is also expected to state:
“Iran must fully cooperate with the IAEA, meet its safeguards obligations, and provide the access necessary for the agency to do its job.”
The US warning follows recent IAEA observations of renewed construction activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified site in Iran suspected of housing nuclear-related operations.
President Donald Trump cited “a little activity at Pickaxe” last Wednesday, publicly warning Iran “not to get cute, because we will have to hit them very hard.”
Wright is also slated to call for a disciplined IAEA focused strictly on its core technical mandate, verifying safeguards, and advancing peaceful nuclear energy.
“As America leads a new era of nuclear energy at home and around the world, we will prove that rapid growth and uncompromising standards go hand in hand,” Wright plans to state, pointing to American nuclear leadership and recent technology-sharing initiatives, such as the agreement finalized with Saudi Arabia in July.
