Iran’s foreign minister said an accord it reached with the UN nuclear watchdog is now invalid after the agency’s 35-member Board of Governors adopted a Western-backed resolution demanding greater transparency from Tehran.
The resolution demanded Iran allow international verification of its enriched uranium stockpile and access to atomic sites hit in June by US and Israeli strikes.
“Today, in an official letter to the Director-General of the Agency, it was announced that this understanding is no longer valid and is considered terminated," Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday.
He was referring to an interim agreement signed between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Cairo in September aimed at eventually resuming inspections of sites stricken by the attacks.
"With this action of theirs and their disregard for Iran’s interactions and goodwill, these countries have damaged the agency’s credibility and independence and are causing disruption in the process of the agency’s interactions and cooperation with Iran," Abbas Araghchi said.
The resolution, adopted on Thursday and submitted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, urges Iran to give the agency access and information about its nuclear program, Reuters reported, citing diplomats.
The measure passed with 19 votes in favor, three against and 12 abstentions, the Reuters report added citing diplomats. Russia, China and Niger voted against it.
Reuters cited the diplomats as saying the resolution demands that Iran inform the agency without delay of the status of its enriched-uranium stock and the condition of its atomic sites that were bombed in June.
"Iran must ... provide the agency without delay with precise information on nuclear material accountancy and safeguarded nuclear facilities in Iran, and grant the agency all access it requires to verify this information," said the draft resolution text submitted to the board and cited by Reuters.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei branded the move “a clear misuse of an international body" to advance the interests of the United States and its allies.
“Neither in the resolution nor in the statements of the three European countries and the United States is there the slightest reference to the fact that Israel and the United States attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in June,” he told Iran's state broadcaster on Thursday.
“The reason for the cessation of the agency’s inspections and the reduction of Iran’s cooperation has been nothing other than this illegal action by the United States and Israel,” he added.
