Ismail Baqaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, has rejected any move to refer Iran’s nuclear file to the United Nations Security Council, saying such a step has no basis, after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors adopted a new resolution targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.
The resolution, adopted during the IAEA’s latest quarterly meeting in Vienna with 23 votes in favour, three against and eight abstentions, was backed by the United States and the three European powers — Britain, France and Germany. The move has drawn strong criticism and warnings from Iranian diplomatic officials.
Araghchi warns of diplomatic consequences
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to members of the IAEA Board of Governors and the agency’s director general, warning of the political consequences of the resolution and stressing that diplomatic pressure could disrupt the course of engagement.
Baqaei, meanwhile, criticised what he described as the Western parties’ approach, saying: “Iran has committed no non-compliance, and what the Western parties are raising is merely the consequence of the aggressive actions of the United States and the Zionist regime. It was expected that the IAEA, in keeping with fairness, would condemn the attacks against the facilities.”
He also pointed to the lack of consensus within the Board of Governors, saying: “The adoption of this resolution was the result of political pressure and a bloc-voting pattern by the United States and Europeans, to the extent that, unfortunately, countries such as Japan and Saudi Arabia also voted in favour.”
Tehran, Beijing and Moscow challenge Western legal claims
Alongside the meeting, Iran, Russia and China issued a joint statement saying that Western pressure and unilateral measures were the main obstacles to resolving technical issues.
The three countries also said Western claims concerning punitive mechanisms or the possible return of previous UN resolutions under the so-called “snapback” mechanism had no legal validity.
Diplomatic pressure intensifies
The resolution comes as part of a broader series of pressure measures by the United States and the three European countries at the IAEA Board of Governors. In recent months, Western governments have accused Iran of reducing its cooperation beyond its safeguards obligations and have sought to revive efforts to refer the country’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council.
Tehran, for its part, has repeatedly said that it will pursue its commitments solely within the framework of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and that any political action by the Board of Governors would be met with proportionate and reciprocal technical measures by Iran.
Experts say the Western approach is leaving little room for a technical resolution of outstanding issues and could further complicate interactions between Iran and the IAEA.
