For the second time this year, the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meeting in Vienna, voted, on the evening of Thursday, November 21, a resolution demanding that the Islamic Republic of Iran improve “urgently” its cooperation with the agency on its nuclear program. Presented by the United Kingdom, France and Germany (E3), in coordination with the United States, this resolution requests the IAEA to “full report” on Iran’s nuclear activities.
It also demands that Tehran return to the limits provided for by the 2015 Vienna agreement on Iranian nuclear energy. (JCPOA for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – “joint global plan of action”), particularly with regard to uranium enrichment, as well as the acceptance of enhanced surveillance measures by UN inspectors. This initiative aims to increase pressure on Iran in a context of escalating military tensions between Tehran and Israel, while encouraging the Islamic Republic to begin new negotiations on its controversial nuclear program.
According to London, Paris and Berlin, Iran already has enough highly enriched uranium to produce it. “four nuclear weapons” and his behavior constitutes a “threat to international security and the global non-proliferation system”. The resolution was approved by 19 of the 35 members of the Council. Russia, China and Burkina Faso voted against, while 12 countries abstained.
Shortly after the vote, the Iranian authorities reacted. In a joint statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced the activation of new advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Speaking to journalists, Mohsen Naziri-Asl, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna and to the IAEA, described the adoption of this resolution as a “regrettable”saying that it comes at a time when “Good promises had been made” during the recent visit of the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, to Tehran.
Step up diplomatic pressure
During this trip, from November 13 to 15, the latter confirmed that Iran had taken preliminary measures to stop the increase in its reserves of uranium enriched to 60%. He welcomed this measure as a step “concrete”while warning against “Unnecessary escalation of tensions” talking about the draft resolution. He also mentioned the significant increase in Iranian reserves of 60% enriched uranium, which now amount to 182.3 kg, compared to 17.6 kg in the previous report, in August.
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