European powers seek to censure Iran at UN nuclear meeting | Parami News

VIENNA: Britain, France and Germany will try on Monday to condemn Iran for failing to cooperate with the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s board meeting despite opposition from USA, AFP was informe by diplomats.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tehran is the sole non-nuclear weapon state enriching uranium up to 60% while amassing huge reserves of uranium.

This means that it is almost at a level of enrichment of 90% required for atomic weapons. This also far surpasses the permitted 3.67% used in nuclear power plant.

One diplomat who sought anonymity said Iran insists it has no interest in developing a nuclear weapon but has rapidly grown its nuclear program which cannot be justified by credible civilian need.

“Urgency to respond to the seriousness of the situation” drove diplomats speaking to AFP in Vienna into tabling an Iran motion.

The planned resolution follows another one of such last November passed by IAEA board

Since then, however, although Iran has continued surging its nuclear program, there has been no censure by the agency’s board.

Due to lack of support from Washington, European powers shelved their plans to confront Iran at their last meeting held in March.

The US denies Europe’s complaints about hindering their efforts towards holding Tehran accountable but fears this could increase Middle Eastern tensions before presidential elections in November according to some diplomats interviewed.

‘Essential and urgent’

At least, over time cooperation between IAEA and Iran has waned significantly as UN’s body responsible for monitoring peaceful use of atomic energy became increasingly concerned with respect to this country’s escalating activity.

Diplomats argue that keeping quietness intact at the moment when Iran escalates is not sustainable anymore and Washington might change her position ahead of voting slated later this week.

In May Rafael Grossi ,the head of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Ira aiming for greater collaboration and urged “concrete results… soon” in this regard.

In Iran negotiations are on hold until after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash last month.

However, diplomats claim that Iran is using the accident as an excuse for stalling.

The obtained draft resolution includes all contentious elements according to AFP.

“Essential and urgent” requirement of “technically credible explanations” for uranium particles which have been found at two undeclared locations in Iran is stated under the classified version of this resolution

Iran must also ‘reconsider’ its ‘de-listing’ of some experienced Agency inspectors and “without further delay”, restore surveillance cameras for facilitating nuclear activities.

Also, it takes on board “worries about recent public statements made inside Iran…on its technological potential for producing atomic weapons and possible changes to Iran’s nuclear doctrine”.

‘Wider impasse’

Since 2015 Nuclear agreement between Iran and US, China, Russia, France, Germany and UK gradually collapsed.

This successful accord provided relief from sanctions to Tehran alongside restrictions on its atomic program but fell apart after US withdrew unilaterally under then-President Trump in 2018.

“The US has reportedly been hesitant to endorse a resolution because Tehran has previously tended to double down on the very activities that are prompting censure,” Naysan Rafati, an analyst at The Crisis Group specializing in Iran told AFP.

However, he added that Washington “will also be reluctant to publicly break with its European allies”.

According to Rafati, there was “a confrontation at the board which reflects a general impasse over Iran’s nuclear activity with few diplomatic initiatives and growing alarm about a program that keeps expanding in scale under modest international vigilance.”

Writing on X on Sunday, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to the international organizations in Vienna said it would certainly be a stormy meeting of the IAEA Board.

He said he hopes that an “anti-Iranian resolution” will not be propose since it may “significantly aggravate the situation.”