Vienna - A senior Western diplomat said Thursday that Western countries plan to list a resolution at a meeting of the UN nuclear agency, and the company will find that Iran is not complying with its so-called safeguard obligations for the first time in 20 years.
The move is in a sensitive period as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration attempts to reach a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program. So far, the two sides have held several rounds of talks and no agreement has been reached.
A draft resolution jointly proposed by France, Britain and Germany, called E3 distributed after the final signing of the United States in Washington.
The State Council did not comment immediately.
"Since 2019, many of Iran's failures have fulfilled its obligations, requiring the agency to provide comprehensive and timely cooperation with undeclared nuclear material and activities at several undeclared locations in Iran ... constitute non-compliance with its obligations under its safeguards agreement."
In addition, the draft resolution found that the IAEA's "powerlessness... to ensure full peace in Iran's nuclear program, it raised problems within the capacity of the UN Security Council because it assumed the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security."
It requested the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, to "continue to work to implement this and previous resolution and report it again, including any further developments on these issues."
The text of the draft may be changed before it is formally proposed, as board members have the opportunity to suggest amendments.
Under the so-called safeguards obligation, which is part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran must legally declare all nuclear substances and activities and allow IAEA inspectors to verify that neither of them has been transferred from peaceful uses to peaceful uses.
The IAEA "Comprehensive Report" issued by the UN nuclear monitoring agency last weekend said Iran's cooperation with the agency was "not satisfactory", which involved traces of uranium found in several sites in Iran, and believed Tehran could not be declared a nuclear site.
Since 2019, the IAEA has been seeking answers from Iran about the origins and current location of nuclear material.
Western officials suspect traces of uranium found by the IAEA can provide evidence that Iran did not have a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003.
Iran denied having had a nuclear weapons program and said its plan was completely peaceful.
Senior Western diplomats called the resolution a "serious step" but added that Western countries "have not closed their diplomatic doors on this issue."
The source added: "The purpose of the resolution is to resolve the issue." This is why the resolution will not immediately transfer Iran's non-compliance to the UN Security Council to consider triggering more sanctions. “They will have a window to finalize compliance and respond to all requests made in the past six years.”
The Board “emphasized support for diplomatic solutions to the issues raised by Iran’s nuclear program, resulting in the agreement addressing all international issues related to Iran’s nuclear activities and encouraging all parties to engage in diplomacy constructively.”
However, if Iran does not cooperate, an extraordinary IAEA board meeting may be held in the summer, during which another resolution can be passed to the Security Council.
Three European countries have threatened to restore original sanctions under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which expired on October 18.
Iran has previously retaliated against the resolutions adopted by the agency's board of directors by further expanding its nuclear program and a nuclear program that prohibits inspectors.
In an article on X, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) not to take "political motivated actions" from some board members, as it could undermine cooperation between Iran and the United Nations nuclear regulator.
- -
The Associated Press has received support from New York Carnegie Corporation and Outrider Foundation for nuclear safety coverage. AP is responsible for all content.
- -
Other AP coverage for nuclear landscape: