By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Iran said it had no trust in IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, accusing him of politicizing inspections and endangering nuclear-site security.

Key Developments

• Iran’s nuclear agency spokesman accused Rafael Grossi of politicizing the country’s nuclear file and contributing to Western and Israeli pressure.
• Tehran defended restricting access to nuclear facilities damaged during the war, warning that sensitive information could facilitate additional attacks.
• Iran accused Austria of blocking its nuclear chief’s Vienna visit under US pressure, while parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked US interest-rate policy.

Iran has “no trust” in International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi because of what Tehran described as his politicized handling of the country’s nuclear file, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday.

“We have no trust in the director general unless he wants to make a fundamental change in his approach,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told the state-run IRNA news agency.

Kamalvandi accused Grossi of acting politically instead of limiting the agency’s work to professional and technical matters.

He said Grossi’s reports and public statements had contributed to political pressure on Iran from European countries, the United States and Israel.

“The agency must return to its place, where its work is professional and technical, not political,” Kamalvandi said.

The remarks came amid continuing disagreements between Tehran and the IAEA over inspections and access to Iranian nuclear facilities damaged in the US-Israeli war on the country.

Grossi has maintained that IAEA inspectors require access to the damaged facilities to verify Iran’s nuclear material and activities.

Tehran, however, has argued that the security conditions created by the war must determine what information can be provided and which facilities inspectors may enter.

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Tehran Defends Restrictions

Kamalvandi defended Iran’s restrictions on IAEA access, saying the country’s adversaries were seeking information that could be used to carry out additional attacks against its nuclear infrastructure.

He said protecting information about the condition and location of sensitive materials and facilities had become particularly important following the attacks.

The spokesman also raised concerns about whether confidential information provided to the IAEA could be adequately protected.

He argued that Iran could not be expected to disclose all available information if it could subsequently reach governments seeking to attack the country’s nuclear facilities.

Kamalvandi also addressed Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Mohammad Eslami’s planned attendance at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna.

According to Kamalvandi, Austria had already issued Eslami a multiple-entry Schengen visa before later indicating that the planned visit should not take place.

He accused the Austrian government of reversing its position under pressure from the United States.

Iran subsequently summoned Austria’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran and lodged a formal protest over the decision.

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Ghalibaf Mocks US Policy

In a related development, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked the US Federal Reserve’s interest-rate policy, arguing that monetary measures could neither increase oil production nor reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Let’s see if the Federal Reserve can open the Strait of Hormuz or produce one additional barrel of oil by raising interest rates,” Ghalibaf said.

He also published a modified version of the Taylor Rule, a formula commonly used to describe how central banks set interest rates, adding variables related to the Strait of Hormuz and energy markets.

Ghalibaf wrote:

“Straits Taylor Rule:

i = r* + π* + 1.5(π−π*) + 0.5(y−y*) + α(SOH−SOH*) + β(BEM−BEM*), α,β > 0

Let’s see if a hike could open SOH or produce a single barrel 🙂

You can’t 25bp a chokepoint and r* isn’t neutral. It’s SOH risk premium, and We set it.

Stay unanchored !”

Straits Taylor Rule:

i = r* + π* + 1.5(π−π*) + 0.5(y−y*) + α(SOH−SOH*) + β(BEM−BEM*), α,β > 0

Let’s see if a hike could open SOH or produce a single barrel 🙂

You can’t 25bp a chokepoint and r* isn’t neutral. It’s SOH risk premium, and We set it.

Stay unanchored !

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) September 16, 2026

His remarks followed comments by US President Donald Trump that American interest rates should be “the lowest among the countries of the world” ahead of a Federal Reserve policy meeting.

A selloff in long-term US government debt had spread through global markets on Friday as rising regional tensions supported oil prices and increased expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates to contain inflation.

(PC, IRNA, Al Mayadeen, Anadolu)