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VIENNA (AP) — The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is not expected to attend the annual gathering of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s member nations in Vienna for the first time in years because he is banned from international travel, an official briefed on the matter said.
Mohammad Eslami’s exclusion from the IAEA conference is another sign of rapidly deteriorating relations between Iran and the West. The United States and Iran have resumed fighting, on and off, after a fragile ceasefire collapsed in July.
Austria sought a waiver of the travel ban on Eslami with the U.N. sanctions committee but it was not granted, the official said. The official wasn’t authorized to comment on the sensitive matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
As host of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria can request exemptions from travel bans to enable sanctioned officials to attend international conferences at the U.N.
Since Israel and the U.S. struck Iran’s nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran hasn’t given IAEA inspectors access to nuclear sites that were affected by the strikes — even though Tehran is legally obliged to cooperate with the watchdog under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The IAEA has also been unable to verify the status of a stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the June bombing. [...]