Iran’s continued breaches of its nuclear obligations will remain on the agenda at the upcoming quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors, a German foreign ministry spokesperson told Iran International.
Mojtahedi, host of the weekly podcast ‘Eye for Iran’ for Iran International English and a frequent author of investigative reports and in-depth interviews, reflected on her Iranian roots and the plight of Iran's people in her acceptance speech.
“I’ve often asked myself one simple question: What is best for the people of Iran? Not for its rulers, but for the men, women, and children whose voices are too often ignored,” Mojtahedi added. “Because when politics and power fall away, they are what truly matter.”
“At its heart, journalism is about truth. It’s about shining a light where others want darkness. It’s about giving voice to those who are silenced and holding the powerful, whoever they may be, to account,” Mojtahedi said.
Democratic values
The Transatlantic Leadership Network also honored Iran International TV for excellence in international reporting.
Executive Editor Mehdi Parpanchi, accepting on behalf of the 24-hour Persian-language channel broadcasting from London and Washington, thanked TLN for strengthening international dialogue and democratic values.
“For us, this recognition is not only about the team that works tirelessly to make our work possible: the journalists, producers, editors, presenters, engineers, and technicians who deliver the truth,” Parpanchi said.
"Above all we dedicate this award to the viewers inside Iran who often take real risks just to access independent news, he added.
Parpanchi cited a recent independent survey on how Iranians accessed news during the 12-day war with Israel in June, saying the network surpassed competitors and even state-run television.
“The survey found that Iran International was cited by 43 percent of respondents as their main source of television news,” Parpanchi said. “The state broadcaster IRIB stood at about 27%, and BBC Persian under 9%.”
More than half of respondents said they relied primarily on social media for news during the war.
Transatlantic Leadership Network is a DC based nonprofit think tank. It builds nonpartisan networks of leaders to strengthen transatlantic ties on security, economy, climate, and media freedom amid global shifts.
The Freedom of the Media Award, launched in 2021, recognizes bold journalism exposing repression and corruption.
On 2024, it was rewarded to Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad, Hanna Liubkova for investigative work in Balarus and Yann Philippin for specializing in financial scandals, corruption, and tax fraud in France.
"The reports of the IAEA Director General speak for themselves, as they highlight Iran’s ongoing violations of its key obligations. This particularly concerns the still-unclarified whereabouts of the stocks of highly enriched uranium," the spokesperson said.
Last week, in a confidential report cited by Reuters, the IAEA said Iran has yet to allow UN inspectors to visit nuclear sites hit by Israeli and US airstrikes in June, adding that the verification of Tehran’s enriched uranium is “long overdue.”
“The Agency’s lack of access to this nuclear material in Iran for five months means that its verification is long overdue,” the IAEA said in the report to member states.
Under its obligations as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran must submit a detailed report on the status of the bombed facilities “without delay,” but has yet to do so, the IAEA added. Only after such a report is received can inspectors return to the damaged sites.
The spokesperson added that the E3 — Germany, France and the United Kingdom — have repeatedly raised their concerns on Iran's violations publicly and they were the reason the troika triggered the so-called snapback of sanctions.
The E3 triggered the snapback mechanism under the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 which led to the restoration of UN sanctions on Iran in late September.
European states are expected to discuss a draft resolution critical of Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting later this week.
According to the spokesperson, no specific agenda item is planned on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, but Berlin said the issue will still be addressed based on reporting from the IAEA director general and the UN resolutions that re-entered into force following the snapback mechanism.
European countries and the United States have called for renewed talks between Washington and Tehran, but Iran says it will not renounce domestic uranium enrichment or discuss its missile program and its support for regional armed groups.
"Germany, together with its E3 partners France and the United Kingdom, continues to advocate for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program," the spokesperson added.
Earlier this month, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said although the June attacks on Iran's Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear sites “severely damaged” the country's nuclear program, the country retains the knowledge and material “to manufacture a few nuclear weapons."
Before the attacks, inspectors had verified about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity—enough, if further refined, for roughly 10 nuclear weapons under IAEA criteria.
Iranian officials, including Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, have repeatedly said the enriched uranium is buried "under rubble" left from the June strikes.
Tehran denies seeking a bomb but Western powers and Israel doubt its intentions.
