US and European Powers Accuse Iran of Threatening Nuclear Safeguards Integrity

The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany stated that Iran's actions raise not only urgent concerns about the nature of its nuclear program but also pose a threat to the integrity of the global nuclear safeguards system.

These remarks came in a joint statement following the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors' approval on Thursday of a resolution, supported by the United States, calling on Iran to declare its remaining enriched uranium stockpiles and to allow inspectors to verify them. This development could complicate ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran.

Diplomats who attended the closed meeting reported that the resolution was proposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. It was adopted with 21 votes in favor, three against, and ten abstentions.

The United States led the push for this resolution. However, Iran described it as a "justification for military aggression," noting that inspectors had unrestricted access before the attacks, according to Reuters.

This move followed hours of exchanges of attacks between the United States and Iran, after US President Donald Trump announced that Iran had shot down an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

In June of last year, Israeli and US strikes destroyed or severely damaged Iran's uranium enrichment facilities. It is believed that most of the enriched uranium produced at these sites, including material close to weapons-grade levels, was not harmed.

IAEA Demands Iran Disclose Remaining Uranium Stockpiles

To date, Iran has not informed the IAEA about the fate of these materials and has not permitted agency inspectors to return to the bombed sites to verify their status.

The United States spearheaded the campaign for the resolution, which Iran criticized as a "pretext for military aggression," emphasizing that inspectors had free access prior to the attacks, as reported by Reuters.

When asked how Iran would respond, Reza Najafi, Tehran's ambassador to the IAEA, told journalists that Iran would decide its course of action.

Following the vote, Najafi stated, "Without addressing the root causes of the current situation, the resolution exclusively focuses on consequences and imposes a number of excessive demands on Iran."

The Iranian mission to the IAEA advised the Board of Governors to exercise "caution regarding the future path." Iran has expressed dissatisfaction with previous resolutions against it, responding by escalating its nuclear activities or reducing cooperation with the agency.

The resolution stipulates that Iran must "provide the agency with complete information on its nuclear material stockpiles" and grant the agency the necessary access to verify this "without delay."

Ongoing US-Iran Negotiations and Statements

The United States and Iran are engaged in talks aimed at extending their ceasefire and paving the way for broader negotiations on issues including Iran's nuclear program.

President Trump posted on social media, "Iran only improves in words, but not in actions... They took longer than necessary negotiating a deal that would have benefited them, and now they will have to pay the price!!!"

Trump asserted that Iran should never be allowed to produce a nuclear weapon, while Iran maintains it will never pursue such an outcome.

Details on Iran's Uranium Stockpiles

The IAEA estimated that Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity before the initial Israeli strikes on June 13 of last year. This level of enrichment is very close to weapons-grade, which is approximately 90%.

According to IAEA standards, this quantity, if further enriched, would be sufficient to produce ten nuclear weapons. The amount of uranium remaining is currently unclear.