Press TV - Iran has stressed the need for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to act impartially under its new chief, Rafael Grossi, saying the UN nuclear watchdog should avoid forceful and unilateral measures.

Kazem Qaribabadi, Iran�s ambassador and permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna, highlighted on Monday the IAEA�s obligation to maintain its independent, professional and impartial disposition with regard to facing critical issues.

�Iran believes that peaceful use of nuclear energy should not be hindered through unilateral and illegally forceful measures, nor be conditioned to any arbitrary and inadmissible preconditions on behalf of other countries,� Qaribabadi said.

Pointing to the notion that observation and verification of Iran�s nuclear program activities under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was part of the IAEA�s basic mission at the present time, Qaribabadi said Iran was an �important partner� for the agency.
�Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the existence of the three pillars of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and also the credibility of the IAEA is by and large predicated upon commitment to these principles,� the Iranian diplomat added.
On October 29, the IAEA�s 35-nation Board of Governors picked Grossi, a 58-year-old Argentinean diplomat, to become the agency�s next chief, succeeding Yukiya Amano, who died in office in July.

After his election, Grossi, who had the early support of Brazil and the United States,�pledged to act independently and neutrally on issues including Iran.

�I will do my job and I think my job is to implement the mandate in a manner which is independent, fair, and neutral,� he said.

The new IAEA director general is facing challenges such as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, whose fate remains in doubt after Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the multilateral accord and Europe�s�failure to fulfill its end of the bargain.

The US under President Donald Trump and Israel � a staunch opponent of diplomacy with Iran � have repeatedly attempted to put pressure on the IAEA to kill the JCPOA.

Prior to Grossi�s appointment, reports said the US had been meddling in favor of Argentina�s contender.