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ADVERTISEMENTThe UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors on Thursday formally found that Iran is not complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years, a move that could lead to further tensions and set in motion an effort to restore United Nations sanctions on Tehran later this year.
Iran immediately responded to the International Atomic Energy Agency board’s vote, stating that it will establish a new enrichment facility.
The announcement said the facility will be “in a secure location».
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said in a joint statement.
Nineteen countries on the IAEA’s board, which represents the agency’s member nations, voted for the resolution, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-door vote.
Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, 11 abstained ,and two did not vote.
In the draft resolution seen by media outlets, the board of governors renews a call on Iran to provide answers “without delay” in a long-running investigation into uranium traces found at several locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.
Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003.
France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States proposed the resolution.
In Brussels, the European Commission expressed support for the text and called on Iran to «restore full cooperation with the agency and fully implement its obligations».
«We call on Iran to show restraint and avoid any step that would further escalate the situation,» a Commission spokesperson said on Thursday afternoon.
Tensions continue to simmer
The vote comes at a sensitive time, as tensions in the region have been rising.
On Wednesday, the US State Department announced that it is drawing down the presence of non-essential personnel in the Middle East.
The European Commission said its «limited» diplomatic presence on the ground had been «informed» about the Pentagon’s plan, but that no evacuation order would be issued to its staff for now.
US President Donald Trump has previously said that Israel or Washington could carry out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations failed.
The US and Iran have been holding talks on Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program. Oman’s foreign minister said earlier Thursday that a sixth round of negotiations will be held in his country on Sunday.
The draft resolution makes a direct reference to the US-Iran talks, stressing its “support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear program, including the talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses all international concerns related to Iran’s nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to constructively engage in diplomacy.”
This article has been updated to reflect the European Commission’s reaction.
