The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors has passed a resolution demanding that Iran immediately cooperate with inspectors and provide access to its nuclear facilities. According to a report by Stephanie Liechtenstein for The Associated Press (AP), the resolution emphasizes that providing this information is “essential and urgent” to guarantee that nuclear material is not being diverted for military use.
The vote, which took place behind closed doors at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, saw 21 of the board’s 35 members vote in favor of the measure. The resolution was heavily backed by Western powers, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. A senior Western diplomat told the AP that the initiative is intended to maintain diplomatic pressure on Tehran to fulfill its legal safeguards obligations. Conversely, Russia, China, and Niger voted against the resolution, while ten countries abstained.
This diplomatic clash coincides with a volatile security situation in the Middle East, marked by recent U.S. airstrikes against Iran and retaliatory strikes from Tehran. The AP notes that these hostilities threaten to derail peace negotiations, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning Iran that it will “pay the price” for stalling talks.
Central to the dispute is Iran’s refusal to grant inspectors access to nuclear facilities that were struck during a 12-day war involving Israel and the U.S. in June 2025. Under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iran is legally required to cooperate with the watchdog.
However, the IAEA has been unable to verify Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium since the 2025 bombings. The agency reports that Iran possesses 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, which is just a technical step away from the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material.
IAEA Director-General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, warned that this quantity is theoretically enough to build up to 10 nuclear bombs, though he clarified this does not mean Iran has built a weapon.
Iran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, criticized the resolution, arguing that the document ignores the reality of the conflict. He stated that the “unprecedented security environment” caused by foreign attacks has destroyed the foundations for normal safeguards, though he claimed Iran has still allowed access to unaffected facilities.
The AP report highlights that the resolution also expresses deep regret over Iran’s year-long failure to address its noncompliance, which stems from a long-running probe into unexplained uranium traces found at undeclared sites. While the board stopped short of referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council for immediate sanctions, it explicitly left the door open for harsher measures if Tehran’s noncompliance persists.
