Iranian president defies IAEA censure, says enrichment will continue

"Today, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany passed a resolution against Iran. I truly do not understand how we are supposed to cooperate with a world that keeps provoking us and refuses to let the people of this nation stand on their own and live independently," Pezeshkian said during a meeting with teachers, academics, and cultural figures in the western province of Ilam.

The remarks came a few hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board adopted a non-compliance resolution criticizing Iran for lack of cooperation with inspectors and its ongoing expansion of nuclear activities, which Western powers say could pose proliferation risks.

Reaffirming Tehran’s nuclear posture, Pezeshkian said, “We will continue on our path. We will carry on with enrichment and we will not back down from the current course. This is a national right, and we will not compromise.”

"We will build this country with our youth. Even if they destroy our facilities with bombs, the knowledge and capability remain in our minds, and we will rebuild everything no matter what they do.”

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, but its rapid expansion of enrichment activities and restrictions on international oversight have raised alarms in Washington and European capitals.

The resolution by the IAEA’s policy-making 35-nation board declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations marked the first in almost 20 years, raising the prospect of reporting it to the UN Security Council.

The decision follows years of escalating tensions between Iran and the Vienna-based agency, particularly after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 under President Donald Trump, prompting the gradual collapse of the accord.

In response to the censure, an IAEA official said Iran had notified the agency of its intention of countermeasures such as establishing a new uranium enrichment facility.

Following the announcement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iran’s move, accusing Tehran of undermining the global Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and posing a serious threat to regional and international security.

Iran remains a signatory to the NPT, while Israel is not. Israel is widely believed to possess the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal.

Withdrawal from the NPT is now under consideration at the Iranian parliament, the spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said after the resolution was passed.

Earlier in the day, a senior Israeli told Iran International that Israel is ready to launch a military strike on Iran if the next round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, set for Sunday in Oman, fails to yield results.

France on Thursday expressed alarm at Iran’s announcement to construct a new uranium enrichment facility, following the IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution against Tehran.

“France takes note with concern of Iran’s announcement to build a new enrichment site,” a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said.

The European Commission on Thursday backed the IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution against Iran and urged Tehran to return to full cooperation with the agency and fulfill its nuclear obligations.

“We call on Iran to show restraint and avoid any step that would further escalate the situation,” a Commission spokesperson said in Brussels.

Iran’s post-resolution nuclear moves were foreseeable but dangerous, increasing the likelihood of military action, said the President of the Institute for Science and International Security.

“Iran’s announced escalation following the IAEA board resolution is not unexpected, but increases the chance of military strikes,” David Albright wrote on X, adding that many of the measures align with earlier Iranian plans.

Iran had already declared it would replace IR-1 centrifuges with more advanced IR-6s at Fordow and that the mountain facility at Natanz is nearly ready for small-scale enrichment, hed added.

“Iran deployed thousands of centrifuges in the last year and likely has a few thousand more it could deploy in the near-term at the Natanz Mtn complex or elsewhere.”

“Iran has just been ruled a cheater by the IAEA Board. Its threats make it look to be a cheater that digs its heels in.” He warned Tehran may be violating Code 3.1 again and acting contrary to President Trump’s demands—while “Israel is itching to strike.”

Withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is under consideration in response to the IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution against Iran, the spokesman for Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said Thursday.

“The resolution issued by the Board is purely political and lacks legal or technical legitimacy,” MP Ebrahim Rezaei told Tasnim.

“It shows the Agency’s independence has eroded under Western influence.”

Rezaei said recent developments, including the resolution and the US move to evacuate some personnel from the region, aim to pressure Iran into retreating from its nuclear position.

"The measures announced so far—such as establishing a third enrichment site and upgrading from first-generation centrifuges—are only part of Iran’s planned response," he added.