Iran rebukes G7 for nuclear program escalation warning: ‘Destructive policies of the past’

Iran calls upon the Group of Seven to distance itself from “destructive policies of the past,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani says, referring to a G7 statement condemning Iran’s recent nuclear program escalation.

On Friday, the G7 warned Iran against advancing its nuclear enrichment program and said they would be ready to enforce new measures if Tehran were to transfer ballistic missiles to Russia.

“Any attempt to link the war in Ukraine to the bilateral cooperation between Iran and Russia is an act with only biased political goals,” Kanaani says, adding that some countries are “resorting to false claims to continue sanctions” against Iran.

Last week, the UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution calling on Iran to step up cooperation with the watchdog and reverse its recent barring of inspectors.

Iran responded by rapidly installing extra uranium-enriching centrifuges at its Fordo site and began setting up others, according to a International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report.

Kanaani adds Tehran will continue its “constructive interaction and technical cooperation” with the IAEA, but calls its resolution “politically biased.”