Vienna – Western countries are planning to implement resolutions at a meeting of the UN nuclear agency that finds Iran for the first time in 20 years that has not violated the so-called safeguards, western diplomats said Thursday.
The move comes at a sensitive time as President Donald Trump's administration is about to reach a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program. Both sides have so far held several talks without agreement.
The draft resolution, known as the E3 in France, the UK and Germany, was distributed today, along with the US, after a final sign-off by Washington.
The State Department did not immediately comment.
The resolution seen by the Associated Press stated: “Iran has constituted a breach of its obligation under the protection agreement agreement since 2019 to provide the agency with full and timely cooperation on undeclared nuclear materials and activities in multiple undeclared locations.”
Furthermore, the resolution found that the IAEA's “inability to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful raises questions that fall within the capabilities of the UN Security Council, as an organisation that is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.”
I am calling on IAEA Director, Director Rafael Mariano Grossi, to “continue to implement this solution and previous resolutions and to continue our efforts to report back, including further development on the issue.”
Draft texts may be changed before they are formally submitted, as board members have the opportunity to propose revisions.
Under the so-called safeguards, which are part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran legally declares all nuclear material and activity, allowing IAEA inspectors to ensure that they have not been circumvented from peaceful use.
In an IAEA's “comprehensive report” that spread among member states last weekend, UN nuclear surveillance said that cooperation with Iran was “unsatisfied” with regard to traces of uranium discovered by agency inspectors in several places in Iran that Tehran did not declare it a nuclear presence.
The IAEA has been seeking responses from Iran regarding the origins and current location of nuclear material since 2019.
Western officials suspect that traces of uranium discovered by the IAEA can provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003.
Iran denied that it had a nuclear weapons program and said it was completely peaceful.
Senior Western diplomats called the resolution a “serious step,” but added that the West “has not closed the door to diplomacy on the issue.”
“The purpose of the resolution is for Iran to resolve the issue,” the source added. Therefore, the resolution is why we do not immediately mention Iran's violation of the UN Security Council in order to consider raising more sanctions. “They have a window to ultimately comply and respond to all requests made over the last six years.”
The board “emphasizes its support for a diplomatic solution to the issues raised by Iran's nuclear program, leading to an agreement addressing all international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to engage in diplomacy constructively,” the resolution reads.
However, if Iran does not cooperate, there is likely to be an extraordinary IAEA committee meeting in the summer, during which another resolution could be passed, and the issue will be referred to the Security Council, senior diplomats said.
Three European countries have previously threatened to recover sanctions lifted under the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, which expires on October 18th.
Iran previously retaliated a resolution passed by the agency's board of directors by further expanding its nuclear program and banning inspectors.
Iran's Foreign Minister Qasem Galibabadi warned the IAEA against taking “politically motivated actions” by some board members.
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