The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution on Wednesday, September 9, officially referring the Islamic Republic’s nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council.
Reuters reported that the resolution passed with 23 votes in favor, three against, and eight abstentions. The text was introduced by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States, which cited Tehran’s persistent non-compliance with its nuclear reporting obligations as the grounds for referral.
The resolution instructs the IAEA Director General to submit Iran’s file to both the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly. Expressing “grave concern” over what it characterized as “Iran’s continuous non-compliance with its obligations,” the Board reiterated its demand that Tehran immediately demonstrate compliance with its safeguards commitments.
Furthermore, the resolution calls on Iran to engage “seriously and without preconditions” in negotiations aimed at rebuilding international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
Iran’s mission to international organizations in Vienna denounced the resolution as a “political” and “biased” action. Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the UN office in Vienna, stated following the vote that the resolution was merely a “political tool.”
