Iran and Its Allies Warn Against Resolution Approval in the Board of Governors

Iran, along with seven allied countries, issued a joint statement on Wednesday ahead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors vote, calling the proposed resolution by three European powers against Tehran's nuclear program a "miscalculation" and emphasizing that this action would have "reverse consequences." Belarus, China, Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria, Zimbabwe, and Iran, referred to as the "like-minded countries group," stated in their statement that the recent incident involving the deaths of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the former President and Foreign Minister of Iran, due to a helicopter crash makes the introduction of a resolution in these circumstances "out of diplomatic norms." The statement also acknowledges a disruption in relations between Iran and the IAEA due to this incident, claiming that the European powers have drafted such a resolution "with the aim of exploiting this temporary interruption." France, Britain, and Germany stated that Iran's nuclear program has reached a "warning level." As the IAEA Board of Governors' seasonal meeting began in Vienna, these three countries presented a draft resolution against Iran, which is set to be voted on in this meeting. They emphasized in a statement that the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken a path of escalation and expansion of its nuclear program at a "warning" level. The statement from the three European countries refers to Iran's deviation from its JCPOA commitments, noting that the country now possesses 30 times the allowed limit of enriched uranium set by the JCPOA, and its stockpile of uranium enriched over 60% has significantly increased. The statement warns of the impossibility of fully verifying Iran's nuclear program under current conditions and calls on Tehran to return to the limitations set by the JCPOA, to quickly approve and implement the Additional Protocol, and to reconsider its decision to prevent the monitoring activities of experienced IAEA inspectors. However, Iran and its allies emphasized in their statement that the IAEA and Tehran are set to have negotiations regarding further cooperation, and in this context, the efforts of France, Germany, and Britain to pass the resolution will have the opposite effect. The "like-minded countries group" ultimately called on the member states of the Board of Governors not to support this resolution.