Russia Warns Against ‘Distorting Reality’ at IAEA Board Meeting Amid Iran Tensions
Russia’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on the opening of the June Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that some countries might attempt to portray responsibility for the attack on Iran and its consequences in a way that distorts the facts. Mikhail Ulyanov emphasized that the responsibility for the “aggression” and its outcomes cannot be removed from the perpetrators and shifted onto the other side.
He added that during the meeting, some members might present a narrative that, according to him, “turns everything upside down.” The Board of Governors meeting is scheduled to take place from today until June 12, 2026, in Vienna, with Iran’s nuclear program listed as one of the main agenda items.
Meanwhile, Iran’s mission in Vienna issued a separate statement referencing what it called “bias” in the agency’s recent report, stressing that the current state of Iran’s nuclear cooperation with the IAEA has been shaped following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities. The statement urged the Board of Governors to refrain from becoming a tool to exonerate the perpetrators of these attacks and to make decisions cautiously.
Iran’s mission further emphasized that pressure and confrontation do not create a conducive environment for cooperation and can undermine the process of reaching a diplomatic solution. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that any politicization within the framework of the IAEA’s technical reports damages mutual trust.
On the other side, the United States has submitted a draft resolution to the Board of Governors calling on Iran to provide information on the condition of its bombed nuclear facilities and its enriched nuclear materials, as well as to grant full access for verification.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, recently asserted that the source of the disruption cannot be ignored and then its consequences used against Iran. He called on the IAEA to explicitly condemn the attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities and to avoid turning technical reports into tools of political pressure.
The Board of Governors meeting is being held amid rising concerns about nuclear safety, the non-proliferation regime, and the future of supervisory cooperation, which have become sensitive topics on the international stage.
