The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) flag flies during a special session of an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader, File)
Rafael Grossi, one of the four candidates for the next UN Secretary-General, attends an event, “The Leader the UN Needs: Choosing the Next Secretary-General,” in London on May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, citing it for failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at undeclared sites.
Western officials suspect that the traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. Iran says that it’s not pursuing nuclear weapons, and that its program is entirely peaceful.
Reporting Iran to the Security Council opens the country to possible sanctions and asset freezes, though such punitive measures are unlikely because Iran’s allies Russia and China hold veto power on the panel.
