The permanent representatives of Iran, Russia, and China met Wednesday with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and his team to exchange views ahead of the upcoming session of the IAEA Board of Governors, Russia’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, announced on his X account.
The meeting comes in advance of the Board’s session scheduled for November 19–21, which carries particular significance for Iran. It will be the first gathering since the expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The resolution had mandated enhanced monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program by the IAEA, but with its expiration, inspections are now limited to Iran’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The meeting also comes after foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany, known collectively as the E3, discussed Iran’s nuclear program during a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
Ulyanov voiced skepticism about the European powers’ role. “Russia, China, and Iran are major players in what regards the nuclear program of Iran and decide to a significant extent how the situation will develop,” he wrote on X. “The so-called E3 also has the right to express its viewpoint. But their ability to play a positive role is highly questionable.”
The issue also featured prominently in a phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two officials discussed efforts by France, the UK, and Germany “to launch an anti-Iranian campaign” within the IAEA Board of Governors.
