Three European Countries' Move to 'Approve Resolution' Against Iran at the Board of Governors

Several European diplomats have told Reuters that three European countries that are members of the JCPOA, despite U.S. opposition, have distributed a draft resolution against Iran to the 35 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors. Reuters reported on Wednesday, May 30, that the Board of Governors is set to consider the approval of this resolution at its meeting next week. The IAEA has reported a surge in Iran's 60% enriched uranium stockpile and a halt in negotiations. At the same time, the state news agency IRNA warned that if a resolution against Iran is issued at the upcoming Board of Governors meeting, Tehran will respond and take reciprocal action. Reuters writes that the U.S. believes that passing a resolution against Iran could escalate tensions and overshadow the U.S. presidential elections in November, but the three European members of the JCPOA, including Britain, Germany, and France, think that the policy of appeasement towards Iran has yielded no results. A senior European official told Reuters: 'Despite our insistence, the Americans still believe that nothing should be done that could escalate tensions with Iran, but this policy has not yielded any results so far, and we believe it is time to show our firm approach.' The Wall Street Journal also published a similar report on Monday, citing diplomats familiar with the negotiations. The diplomats told the Wall Street Journal that if no resolution against Iran is issued at the IAEA Board of Governors, the agency's authority as a nuclear watchdog will be weakened, and the West's credibility in addressing potential proliferation threats will be compromised. These diplomats emphasized that the three European countries believe it is time to take a firm stance against Tehran's continued non-compliance with non-proliferation commitments. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, denied on Tuesday the Wall Street Journal's report regarding the U.S. government's efforts to prevent the approval of a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors. The spokesperson called the report 'incorrect' and stressed that the U.S. has made no effort to prevent a negative or abstaining vote from countries. Matthew Miller stated that the U.S. is intensifying pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran through international sanctions. He emphasized that the United States will continue efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The last time the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution against Iran was 18 months ago, calling for the immediate cooperation of the Islamic Republic with the agency, particularly in clarifying the discovery of uranium traces at three undeclared sites of the Islamic Republic. During this period, Iran has not cooperated adequately with the agency. Rafael Grossi, the agency's director-general, traveled to Tehran about two weeks ago to discuss with Iranian officials the aim of improving cooperation between the two sides and enhancing the agency's oversight, announcing that Iran had expressed readiness to implement the March 2023 agreement with the agency for cooperation. However, he recently stated that negotiations between Iran and the agency have stalled following the death of Ebrahim Raisi. In confidential reports sent to the agency's members, a copy of which was provided to Reuters on Tuesday, May 28, it is stated: 'In the past year, no progress has been made in implementing the provisions of the March 4, 2023 agreement.' Tehran also continues to prevent many senior IAEA uranium enrichment experts from entering the country. Three diplomats told Reuters that the draft resolution presented by the three European countries to the Board of Governors members focuses on investigations into the nuclear program and likely refers to a request for Rafael Grossi to provide a 'comprehensive report' on Iran's nuclear activities, which is broader than the agency's usual quarterly reports. In its latest quarterly report, the agency states that Iran has increased its 60% enrichment level to a point where, if enrichment continues to 90%, it could produce three nuclear bombs. Western powers say that such a level of enrichment has no civilian justification, and the IAEA has also stated that no other country enriches uranium to this level without the intention of building nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic claims that it does not intend to produce a nuclear bomb and that its nuclear program is peaceful.