Western powers push IAEA resolution on Iran’s nuclear program

Before the bombing, Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, an amount the IAEA says could potentially produce 10 nuclear bombs if further refined.

By JNS

France, Britain, Germany and the United States submitted a draft resolution on Tuesday to the U.N. atomic watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors, demanding that Iran provide answers and grant access concerning its bombed nuclear sites and enriched uranium stockpile, according to Reuters.

Diplomats told the news agency the resolution is expected to pass as early as Wednesday. The measure follows a critical International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran that was circulated to member states last week.

The report detailed that Tehran has yet to grant international inspectors access to nuclear sites struck by Israeli and U.S. forces in June.

“The Agency’s lack of access to this nuclear material in Iran for five months means that its verification … is long overdue,” according to the report.

“It is critical that the Agency is able to verify the inventories of previously declared nuclear material in Iran as soon as possible in order to allay its concerns … regarding the possible diversion of declared nuclear material from peaceful use,” the IAEA report continued.

Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Tehran is required to submit detailed information on these facilities “without delay,” but it has yet to comply, blocking IAEA inspectors from resuming visits.

Before the bombing, Iran held 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, an amount the IAEA says could potentially produce 10 nuclear bombs if further refined.

In September, Iran and the IAEA agreed to resume nuclear inspections, including at sites struck by the United States and Israel during the 12-day war in June.

But Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the deal would be voided if France, Germany, and the United Kingdom pursued snapback sanctions against Iran at the U.N. Security Council under Resolution 2231, which formalized the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

The three countries initiated the sanctions in August, citing Iran’s failure to comply with the deal’s terms, and U.N. nuclear sanctions on Iran were reimposed in late September.