The key facts

  • Iran's Foreign Ministry accused the IAEA of biased reporting on the nuclear program under the influence of the US and European countries
  • The statement came after an IRGC attack on a US early-warning radar in Bahrain
  • Tensions are tied to the conflict over the Strait of Hormuz; a truce in April gave way to renewed fighting in July

Accusations against the IAEA

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Sunday, at a briefing in Tehran, accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of being under the influence of the US and European countries. According to him, the agency's 'one-sided and biased reports' on Iran's peaceful nuclear program, caused by 'the political approaches of some of its leaders,' have dealt 'an irreparable blow to the technical and international reputation' of the institution. Baghaei also accused Washington of 'draining the concept of diplomacy and negotiations of their true meaning.'

Context of the escalation

The statement came shortly after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported an attack by six drones on an American early-warning radar at the al-Riffa air base in Bahrain. Bahrain's Defence Force said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks, accusing Tehran of continuing a 'systematic hostile course.' Tensions between Iran and the US are tied to the passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic waterway for global energy supplies. According to the agency, the escalation in the region began after US and Israeli attacks on Iran in February, which prompted retaliatory Iranian strikes on several countries in the region. A truce was reached in April, but in July hostilities resumed after negotiations stalled, despite a memorandum of understanding signed a month earlier to settle the conflict.