Implicit U.S. Support for European Troika Resolution Against the Islamic Republic at the Board of Governors

On Tuesday, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department implicitly stated that the Biden administration supports the draft resolution by Britain, France, and Germany against the Islamic Republic at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. Matthew Miller was challenged for a clear response on this matter during his daily press conference and ultimately said, "Don’t expect us to act against the Islamic Republic in opposition to our European allies, the Troika." He added, "The U.S. values its unity with these European partners, and this position will continue." On May 30, Reuters reported, citing three Western diplomats, that Britain, France, and Germany intended to present a resolution against the Islamic Republic at the meeting of the IAEA, but the U.S. disagreed with them. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, expressed dissatisfaction on June 4 regarding the Islamic Republic's lack of cooperation in his latest report to the Board of Governors of the UN's nuclear oversight body. On the evening of June 4, Britain, France, and Germany, three of America's European allies in the JCPOA, announced that they had officially entered their draft resolution criticizing the Iranian government's approach into the agenda of the Board of Governors. The Islamic Republic's mission to the IAEA provided a twelve-page "explanatory note" the following day regarding the issues mentioned in the Director General's report. This note claimed that the basis of the information requested by the IAEA regarding the Islamic Republic's past nuclear activities was "fake and fabricated" by a "malicious third party," likely referring to Israel. Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, threatened that if a resolution against the Islamic Republic is passed at the Board of Governors, Tehran's response will be decisive, although he did not provide further details on the reaction. On Tuesday, during the second day of the periodic Board of Governors meeting, Laura Holgate, the U.S. representative to the IAEA, emphasized the "necessity" of cooperation from the Islamic Republic, stating that the increase in uranium production to 60% purity has no civilian justification. She rejected Tehran's claims and those of several other council members that blame the U.S. for the JCPOA not being revived, referring to negotiations two years ago in Vienna, stating that the Islamic Republic had two opportunities for reviving the JCPOA but responded only with unreasonable demands. According to Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, discussions held during his recent visit to Tehran will continue with Ali Bagheri Kani, who has now become the head of the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry.