Iran nuclear chief’s IAEA appearance hangs in balance over travel ban

Vienna: The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation is not expected to attend the annual gathering of the UN 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.

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Austria sought a waiver of the travel ban on Eslami with the UN sanctions committee but it was not granted, the official said 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 UN.

Since Israel and the US struck Iran's nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran has not 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. According to the IAEA, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity -- a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.

Iran says it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and its programme is entirely peaceful.

Last year, France, Britain and Germany triggered the so-called snapback mechanism that automatically reimposed all United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. The three European countries said Iran willfully departed from the 2015 nuclear deal that lifted the measures.

The UN sanctions that were reinstated include a travel ban, a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology.

Also Read: UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years

Despite the official saying Eslami was not expected to attend the conference, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported Saturday that Eslami left Tehran for Vienna to take part in the IAEA conference and to meet representatives from various countries. He has regularly attended and addressed the IAEA's General Conference in Vienna since being appointed head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation in 2021.

Senior officials from member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency are due to assemble Monday until Friday for the General Conference at the UN nuclear watchdog's headquarters in Vienna. They will consider and approve the agency's budget and discuss other policy issues, including nuclear safeguards in the Middle East.