Iran has summoned Austria’s chargé d’affaires after Vienna refused to issue visas to an Iranian delegation, preventing the country’s nuclear chief from attending a meeting of the UN nuclear agency in Vienna, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Austria’s decision to deny visas to the Iranian delegation was “completely unjustified.”

“The Austrian government’s refusal to issue visas to the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a completely unjustified decision,” Baghaei said at a news conference in Tehran attended by AFP.

He said Tehran believed the decision had been made under pressure from the United States, but argued that this did not exempt Austria from responsibility.

“It is clear to us that this incident occurred under American pressure, but that does not absolve the Austrian government of responsibility,” Baghaei said.

The dispute comes as tensions remain high over Iran’s nuclear programme and its relations with Western countries. Vienna hosts the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN body responsible for monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities.

Iran has repeatedly accused Western governments of politicizing the IAEA and applying pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme, while Western countries have called on Iran to cooperate fully with international nuclear inspections. (ILKHA)