VIENNA: Despite fears that Tehran will retaliate with nuclear escalation, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog endorsed a resolution on Wednesday urging Iran to resume cooperation with the monitor and lift its recent ban on inspectors.
Twelve nations abstained, while 20 countries cast votes in favor and two against (China and Russia). It is a follow-up to the last resolution, which was passed eighteen months ago, and ordered Iran to cooperate with an investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into uranium traces discovered at locations that were not notified.
It is past time for the board to make Iran responsible for its legal commitments. In a statement regarding the resolution they put forth, Britain, France, and Germany stated that Iran must urgently, fully, and explicitly cooperate with the agency.
The IAEA has more issues in Iran than it had with the previous resolution, and the new wording also called on Tehran to address a number of those issues.
Many of the IAEA’s most senior enrichment experts were excluded from Iran in September; IAEA chief Rafael Grossi described this as “disproportionate and unprecedented” and a “very serious blow” to the agency’s capacity to carry out its mandate.
