Mohammad Eslami, Iran’s vice president for nuclear affairs and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, had been due to address the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual General Conference in Vienna, which opened Sep. 14 and runs through Sep. 18. However, Austria revoked a visa it had already issued, and Eslami was forced to return to Tehran.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA Reza Najafi told the opening session the cancellation was “a stark indication of a political act,” reported Reuters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called the refusal “absolutely unjustified” and said Tehran had summoned Austria’s chargé d’affaires.
