US blocks Iran's atomic chief Mohammad Eslami from attending IAEA conference in Vienna

Following US objection, Austria revoked the visa of Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, for this week's annual IAEA General Conference in Vienna, forcing him and his delegation to cancel the trip. According to Al Jazeera, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, told the conference on Monday, September 14, 2026, that Eslami's visa had originally been approved and that the decision was a direct infringement on Iran's rights as a member state. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accused the US of pressuring Austria into the decision. Austria's IAEA ambassador Christian Ebner said his country was obliged under the UN Security Council's no objection rule to deny Eslami entry, and US ambassador Preston Wells Griffith III confirmed Washington had objected to granting an exemption. Eslami, who is subject to a travel ban under the reinstated JCPOA snapback sanctions, had regularly attended the conference since 2021.