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By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
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Iran has rejected a new resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors demanding full cooperation with the U.N. watchdog on stockpiles of enriched uranium and inspection of its nuclear facilities.
Iranian envoy to the IAEA Reza Najafi said the United States and three European countries are trying to pressure and promote a false and misleading narrative of the current situation, media reported Thursday.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment.
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Why It Matters
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to make a new nuclear agreement, but Tehran has denied that there are ongoing negotiations. Iran banned IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities following U.S. and Israeli strikes in June. Tehran demands the lifting of U.S. sanctions as well as those reinstated under a "snapback" mechanism.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015, expired in October, leaving Western powers at a standoff over their inability to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities, which they assess as having approached weapons‑grade uranium enrichment.
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What To Know
On Thursday, the IAEA Board of Governors approved a resolution by France, the U.K., Germany, and the U.S. demanding "precise information" on Iran's near‑weapon‑grade uranium stockpile, and granting inspectors access to nuclear sites, according to The Associated Press. China and Russia opposed the measure.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency has been able to carry out inspections and information verifications at many of the facilities unaffected by June’s military attacks, saying Wednesday that "more engagement is needed to restore full inspections, including at the affected sites."
The suspension of verification activities is a result of those attacks, Najafi said Thursday, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported, accusing Washington of seeking to evade responsibility for its "illegal" military operation. To date, Trump is praising Operation Midnight Hammer in which bombers targeted the nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, claiming "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear capacities.
Tehran has acknowledged severe damage and views the attacks by Israel and the U.S. as a "betrayal" of diplomacy because talks with the U.S. were ongoing, though a standoff over enrichment levels had emerged. Iran's political leadership vowed to continue its program which it says is for civilian purposes, while also rebuilding its missile power amid concerns that war with Israel could renew.
Iran's state media published a joint statement reportedly issued with Russia, Belarus, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Zimbabwe in which it said Thursday's resolution was motivated by "pressure" from the Israeli regime.
What People Are Saying
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi said in his introductory statement to the Board of Governors on Wednesday: "The agency’s five-month-long lack of access to this nuclear material in Iran means the material’s verification—according to standard safeguards practice—is long overdue. It is critical the agency be able to verify this material as soon as possible."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday according to semi-official Tasnim news agency: "We consider any agreement aimed at reducing the enrichment level to zero a betrayal, and we will not submit to it…In our interaction with the agency, we have nothing to do with the bombed nuclear facilities and will cooperate only regarding those facilities that have not been bombed."
What Happens Next
It is unclear when the U.S. and Iran could resume talks halted by the 12-day conflict. Regional U.S. allies are pushing efforts to mediate a nuclear deal, warning against further escalation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran is unlikely to restore nuclear inspections amid sanctions.
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