Iran slams Austrian visa denial for atomic agency delegation

Austria's decision to deny a visa to the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization delegation is "absolutely unjustified," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday, adding that the ministry summoned the Austrian charge d'affaires in protest.

The delegation requested visas to attend an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting in Vienna.

"On the one hand, they accuse a country, issue a resolution, prepare false reports, and then deny the country's representatives permission to defend themselves," Baghaei said, referring to the IAEA's recent resolution against Iran for its failure to fulfill its nuclear program obligations.

He claimed that the Austrian government told Tehran that it denied the visas under pressure from the United States.