Washington and the Three European Powers Urge Iran to Cooperate Quickly with the International Atomic Energy Agency

SadaNews - The three major European powers known as the Troika, along with the United States, submitted a draft resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors meeting, consisting of 35 countries, this week, demanding Iran provide answers regarding its nuclear sites that were bombed, its stockpile of enriched uranium, and allow access to these sites.

Diplomats expect the draft resolution to be approved today, Wednesday, after it was presented by France, the UK, Germany, and the United States yesterday, Tuesday. This comes in the wake of a report sent by the IAEA to its member states last week, which criticized Iran.

The draft states that Tehran has not allowed inspectors to enter the nuclear sites that were attacked by Israel and the United States in June, and that the inventory of uranium "has been delayed significantly."

Iran has not yet informed the IAEA of the status of any of these sites or the stockpile, which includes materials enriched to a purity level of 60%, close to the 90% required for making weapons.

The draft also states that "Iran... must provide the agency (IAEA) without delay accurate information about the inventory of nuclear materials and facilities under safeguards in Iran and grant the agency all necessary access to verify this information."

Iran Threatens to Respond

The draft resolution does not go so far as to describe Iran as in violation of its obligations, as was stated in a resolution issued in June prior to the Israeli attack, but Tehran has warned that any resolution against it will be met with a response.

Iran's mission to the IAEA said on Friday, "If this draft resolution is adopted, it will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the positive path of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA," describing the pursuit of a resolution as a "grave mistake."

Iran and the IAEA announced in September an agreement that was supposed to pave the way for a full resumption of inspections and clarify the amount of enriched uranium in Iran, but Tehran has since declared the agreement void.

Western diplomats described the draft resolution as primarily technical, as it issues a new mandate for the IAEA to report on Iranian nuclear activities after the conclusion of the last one that lasted ten years, starting in 2015, the year the nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers was concluded.

However, the draft resolution does not limit itself to criticizing Iran for its lack of cooperation and calling for a diplomatic resolution, in a clear reference to potential talks with the United States, but also includes a demand for Tehran to implement what is referred to as the additional protocol that expands the IAEA's powers.

Wider Oversight

The implementation of the additional protocol, which Iran signed in 2003 but has not ratified to date, was a cornerstone of the 2015 agreement that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for imposing strict limits on its nuclear activities.

The additional protocol grants the agency wider oversight over any country's nuclear activities, such as the authority to conduct surprise inspections at undisclosed sites.

The 2015 agreement collapsed after the United States withdrew from it in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term. Iran responded by abandoning the restrictions, including the additional protocol.

The draft resolution states, "(The Board of Governors) calls on Iran to strictly adhere to the provisions of the additional protocol it signed on December 18, 2003, and to implement this procedure fully without delay."

It also requested that the agency provide additional details in its reports, such as the location of Iran's uranium stockpile and its stock of centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

The IAEA lost oversight of Iran's stock of centrifuges when Tehran stopped implementing the additional protocol in 2021.

The agency currently only has authority to monitor centrifuges at declared Iranian enrichment facilities, which were destroyed or severely damaged in Israeli and American attacks.