The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning Iran for barring nuclear inspectors from entering the country and called on Tehran to cooperate more fully with the UN nuclear watchdog.
The resolution passed with 20 votes in favor, 2 against, and 12 abstentions. The votes against were from Russia and China, Iran’s allies. The Biden administration I tried to Squelch Iran wanted to restart nuclear deal negotiations and opposed the resolution, fearing it would worsen relations with Iran, but the United States ultimately voted in favor of it.
“The need for the Commission to hold Iran to its legal obligations is long overdue. Iran must cooperate urgently, fully and unambiguously with the IAEA,” said a joint statement by Britain, France and Germany, which proposed the resolution.
“The Council will not stand by silently if Iran challenges the foundations of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and undermines the credibility of the international safeguards regime,” the joint statement said.
The IAEA called on Iran to “reverse the withdrawal of the designations of several experienced IAEA inspectors who are essential for the Agency to effectively carry out its verification activities in Iran.”
This was a reference to Iran blocking In September, Tehran banned about a third of the IAEA’s most senior inspectors from entering its nuclear sites, a move the agency said at the time was a “very serious blow” to its nuclear monitoring efforts.
“This is totally unjustified and totally illogical,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in November.
Glossy visited Iran visited Tehran in May with an IAEA delegation to resolve several outstanding issues, including the ban on senior inspectors, the disabling of IAEA monitoring equipment at some of its nuclear facilities and its rush to produce highly enriched uranium.
A confidential IAEA report leaked to the media last month said Iran has enriched uranium to 30 times the amount required by former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal. Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium now exceeds 6,200 kilograms.
According to the IAEA, Iran is the only country outside of nuclear powers that has enriched uranium to such a high level, and Grossi said Iran could build “multiple nuclear weapons” with its radioactive stockpile.
Another challenge is discovery In late 2019, unidentified uranium particles were detected at an undeclared Iranian nuclear facility. The IAEA passed it A resolution was introduced in 2022 calling on Iran to cooperate more fully with inspectors and explain the mysterious uranium particles, but Iran has never responded.
Iranian state media Condemned He said the IAEA decision was “hasty and foolish” and would “undoubtedly have a negative impact on the process of diplomatic engagement and constructive cooperation.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the submission and approval of this resolution to be a political and non-constructive action, a continuation of the previous failed policies of some Western countries, and an attempt to politically abuse international mechanisms against an independent country,” the Iranian foreign ministry said. Said Wednesday night.
Iran used to Threatened He warned that there would have to be a “serious and effective response” if the IAEA resolution passes, and dismissed the proposed censure as “lacking legal, technical and political basis.”
