The United States blocked Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami from attending and addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference in Vienna after opposing an exemption from U.N. snapback sanctions. Austria said it had requested the exemption but was required to deny entry after the U.N. Security Council sanctions committee rejected it. Iran accused Washington of pressuring Austria and called the decision political, while Iran and Russia said it reflected a broader effort to restrict Iranian officials’ international travel. The U.S. said Eslami’s participation would have allowed Iran to use IAEA proceedings for propaganda while avoiding substantive cooperation over inspections. The dispute follows the reimposition of sanctions originally lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018. Western powers activated the snapback mechanism last year, although Iran and its allies, including Russia, reject the restored sanctions. The conference also follows an IAEA Board of Governors vote referring Iran’s safeguards noncompliance to the U.N. Security Council and a prolonged dispute over inspection access.