11 July

Representatives of the United States and Iran have clashed at an emergency board meeting of the UN atomic watchdog convened to discuss Tehran's nuclear enrichment.

The meeting was held behind closed doors at the International Atomic Energy Agency's headquarters in Vienna on Wednesday.

Diplomatic sources say the IAEA confirmed Tehran's claims that it is enriching uranium above the limit set in a 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

The meeting was called by the US. Washington's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Jackie Wolcott, condemned Iran for breaching the nuclear deal.

Iran's ambassador Kazem Gharib Abadi told reporters that Iran's enrichment program is a right guaranteed by the non-proliferation treaty. He said Iran's nuclear activities are all monitored by the IAEA and "we have nothing to hide."

Diplomatic sources say many of the board members expressed strong concern over recent moves by Iran, while representatives of Russia and China blamed the US administration for the situation.

NHK