US blocks Iran nuclear chief from Vienna meeting

VIENNA - Iran's nuclear chief was prevented from attending an annual conference at the UN's nuclear watchdog headquarters in Vienna due to US pressure, both Washington and Tehran have confirmed. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, was a sanctioned individual and the US refused to grant him an exemption from sanctions.

Iranian state TV reported that Eslami and his delegation arrived in Vienna by regular flight on Saturday, but were blocked due to US obstructions. Behrouz Kamalvandi, a senior official from Iran's nuclear agency, accused the US of exerting political pressure and warned that the incident set a precedent that would affect all. The Austrian foreign ministry said they had requested an exemption for Eslami, who is under a UN travel ban, but the Security Council denied the request due to a lack of consensus.

Eslami was scheduled to address the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) annual general conference, which runs until Friday. Eslami had attended last year's event and delivered a speech on Iran's behalf, despite the sanctions against him. Teheran summoned Austria's charge d'affaires in response to the decision to bar Eslami, calling the decision "unjustified" and attributing it to US pressure.