Iran warns of firm response ahead of IAEA board resolution push

Iran said it will respond firmly to any politically motivated or unlawful action against its nuclear program, as Western powers push for a non-compliance resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors meeting in Vienna.

The draft resolution, backed by the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, follows a confidential report by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, circulated to member states late last month. The report raised concerns over undeclared nuclear activity at multiple Iranian sites and Iran’s continued accumulation of highly enriched uranium.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected both the IAEA report and the resolution as politically driven. “Any extralegal action against Iran’s national interests will be met with a strong and proportionate response,” he said in a radio interview aired by Iranian state media on Tuesday.

Baghaei said the report lacked new technical evidence and repeated allegations already resolved under the 2015 nuclear deal. He accused Western governments of attempting to revive closed cases and impose pressure on Iran through the agency’s mechanisms.

“There is no evidence in the report of non-compliance or deviation from peaceful activities,” he added.

He emphasized that peaceful uranium enrichment is Iran’s legal right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and warned that any further escalation would be met with reciprocal steps. He did not specify what measures Iran might take.

Earlier in the week, the spokesperson of Iran's atomic agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said that the last resolution by the agency led Tehran to increase its 60-percent uranium production sevenfold, launch 20 cascades of centrifuges, and install new generations of centrifuges.

IAEA chief Grossi said on Monday that while the resolution process is separate from indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, the two tracks clearly influence one another. “There is no formal link, but there is mutual influence,” he said.

Iran has yet to formally respond to the latest US proposal on the nuclear file. President Donald Trump said on Monday he expected a new round of talks on Thursday, but Iranian officials said that timeline is unlikely. Baghaei later said discussions are being planned for Sunday in Muscat.