VIENNA (AP) 鈥� The U.N. atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday demanded that Iran fully cooperate with the agency, provide complete information about its stockpile of near weapons-grade nuclear material and grant its inspectors access to Iranian nuclear sites.
A resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board also said that giving information and access are 鈥渆ssential and urgent鈥� in order to enable verification that there’s no 鈥渄iversion of nuclear material.鈥�
Twenty-one countries on the IAEA鈥檚 35-member board of governors voted for the resolution at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.
Russia, China and Niger opposed it, while 10 countries abstained and one didn’t vote as it was in arrears.
The resolution was put forward by France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.
A senior Western diplomat, who wasn’t authorized to speak about the sensitive matter so requested anonymity, said that the resolution 鈥渁ims to keep diplomatic pressure on Iran to come into compliance with its legal safeguards obligations.鈥�
The resolution comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the U.S. having launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran, and Tehran firing back at countries in the region. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to , as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the Iranian government would 鈥減ay the price鈥� for stalled peace negotiations.
Since Israel and the United States struck Iran鈥檚 nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran to nuclear sites that were affected by the strikes 鈥� even though Tehran is legally obliged to cooperate with the watchdog under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The agency also has been unable to verify the status of the stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the June bombing.
, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity 鈥� a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned in a . He said that it doesn鈥檛 mean that Iran has such a weapon.
Iran says that it’s not pursuing nuclear weapons, and its program is entirely peaceful.
Talking to reporters outside the IAEA boardroom, Iran鈥檚 ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, denounced Wednesday鈥檚 resolution and said that the document describes the situation in Iran 鈥渁s being quite normal and as if nothing had happened.鈥�
He said that 鈥渦nder the current unprecedented security environment created by the attacks and continued threats by the aggressors, the legal, technical, and operational foundations for the normal implementation of safeguards in Iran have been destroyed.鈥�
Najafi also said that Iran had granted the IAEA access to 鈥渁ll unaffected facilities,鈥� saying that the resolution 鈥渘eglects all Iran鈥檚 cooperation with the agency, even under war conditions.鈥�
The resolution also 鈥渄eeply regrets鈥� Iran鈥檚 鈥渇ailure to remedy鈥� its noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations over the past 12 months. The IAEA board with its safeguards agreement last June for the first time in 20 years 鈥� right before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran鈥檚 nuclear sites.
Central to this issue is a long-running investigation by the U.N. nuclear watchdog into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran.
Iran has failed to provide the agency with 鈥渢echnically credible answers鈥� regarding the origin and current location of this nuclear material since 2019.
Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide further evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003.
Wednesday鈥檚 resolution fell short of referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council to consider more sanctions for , a move that last happened in February 2006 after Iran was found in noncompliance.
The resolution on Wednesday leaves that door open, however, stating that the IAEA board 鈥渨ill stand ready to take further action,鈥� including by addressing the 鈥渢iming and content鈥� of a formal noncompliance report by the IAEA for consideration by the U.N. Security Council.
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