On Nov. 20, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution saying Iran must inform it “without delay” of the status of its enriched uranium stock and bombed atomic sites, diplomats at the closed-door meeting said, reported Reuters. The vote was 19 to 3 with 12 abstentions. Russia, China and Niger were the three “no” votes.
The resolution’s ostensible purpose was primarily to renew and adjust the International Atomic Energy Agency’s mandate to report on aspects of Iran’s nuclear program, but it also stated Iran must quickly provide the IAEA with the answers and access it wants, five months after airstrikes by Israel and the U.S. “Our message is clear: Iran must resolve its safeguards issues without delay. It must provide practical cooperation through access, answers, restoration of monitoring, to enable the agency to do its job and help rebuild confidence,” the U.S., Britain, France and Germany said in a Nov. 19 statement to the board.
Al Mayadeen reported that despite its firm language, the resolution does not declare that Iran is in violation of its safeguards commitments. Instead, it is framed as an effort to maintain pressure without immediately escalating to punitive measures, such as a referral to the UN Security Council.
Russia and China criticized the resolution as “politicized,” arguing that Washington and its allies are using the IAEA as a tool to exert pressure following a military operation that itself remains internationally contentious. Iranian officials have repeatedly said that cooperation must be “professional and depoliticized,” insisting that the IAEA’s mandate is being distorted by countries that both illegally attacked its nuclear sites and are now demanding inspections of them.
