IAEA Resolution Against the Islamic Republic Due to Lack of Cooperation and Ban on Inspectors' Entry to Iran

On Wednesday, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Board, which consists of thirty-five member countries, urged Iran to take steps for cooperation with the Agency, the UN's nuclear oversight arm, more swiftly and to revoke its recent decision to ban experienced inspectors from entering the country. According to Reuters and diplomats, 20 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 12 abstained, and only Russia and China opposed it. Eighteen months ago, the Board also issued a resolution requiring the Islamic Republic to cooperate with the Agency's investigations regarding uranium particles discovered with 'human origins' at sites where nuclear activities had not previously been reported to the Agency. While the number of sites under investigation has decreased from three to two, the Islamic Republic has yet to provide a convincing explanation to the Agency regarding how uranium particles entered these sites. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, stated on Monday, June 4, that enriched uranium stocks in Iran, including uranium enriched up to 60%, continue to increase. Grossi also mentioned that the Agency's information chain regarding the production of centrifuges, their stored quantities, rotors, and centrifuge blowers, heavy water, and uranium ore concentrate has been disrupted. The Islamic Republic has limited the Agency's oversight of its nuclear program. Grossi noted that it has been over three years since the Islamic Republic temporarily suspended the implementation of the Additional Protocol, meaning the Agency has not had comprehensive oversight access to Iran's nuclear program for over three years. He expressed that the public statements of Iranian officials regarding the government's ability to produce nuclear weapons and the possibility of changing its nuclear doctrine only increase his concerns about the accuracy and completeness of Iran's safeguard statements. He reiterated his request for the new Iranian government (which took office after the death of Ibrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash) to continue high-level talks and technical exchanges that began following a May meeting with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (the foreign minister who died with Raisi) and Ali Bagheri Kani, the current head of the foreign ministry. In recent months, Iranian officials have threatened that the government might pursue nuclear weapons production. Additionally, Ali Akbar Salehi, former foreign minister and former head of the Islamic Republic's Atomic Energy Organization, implicitly stated in a television program in late Bahman 1402 that Tehran has the 'necessary capability to build an atomic bomb.' This comes despite previous claims by Iranian officials that, according to the 'fatwa' of the Supreme Leader, the production of nuclear weapons is 'haram' (forbidden). In response to the repeated nuclear threats from Iranian officials, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department referred to recent threats regarding a potential change in the government's nuclear policy, stating, 'The United States guarantees that Iran will never reach nuclear weapons.' Matthew Miller, on Thursday, May 10, responded to a question about recent threats from Kamal Kharrazi, a senior advisor to Ali Khamenei, regarding a possible change in the Islamic Republic's nuclear policy if the regime's existence is threatened, adding, 'These remarks are irresponsible, as the President and Secretary of State have repeatedly stated, the United States will not allow the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons by any means.' Furthermore, the Islamic Republic, China, and Russia have requested Western countries to return to the 'JCPOA' agreement. The U.S. has implicitly supported the European Troika's resolution against the Islamic Republic at the Board of Governors. Macron expressed concern about the trajectory of Iran's nuclear program in a conversation with Netanyahu. Grossi stated that enriched uranium stocks in Iran have increased, and unresolved safeguard issues remain.