THE United States and its European allies joined forces in voting in favor of a resolution to pressure Iran into stepping up its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concerning its nuclear activities.
Board members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution earlier this week to condemn Iran’s lack of cooperation with nuclear inspectors from the UN agency.
The measure was initiated by Britain, France, and Germany, collectively known as the Troika or E3.
The three European nations submitted the resolution to the agency’s 35-member board during its quarterly meeting on Monday and held the vote on Wednesday.
Twenty member states voted in favor of the resolution, Russia and China voted against it, while 12 other nations abstained.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani slammed the censure resolution as a political maneuver by some Western states and an abuse of international mechanisms against independent states.
Additionally, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mohsen Naziri said France, Britain, and Germany should be held responsible for the measure’s negative consequences on the positive atmosphere required for the Islamic Republic’s positive interaction with the nuclear watchdog.
Iran’s state TV called the move “hasty and unwise”.
Before the voting, several countries warned that the adoption of the anti-Iran resolution is a miscalculation that poses negative consequences, hence, avoiding voting to show their disapproval of politicizing safeguarding issues.
The nuclear watchdog issued the resolution amid fears by Western powers of
Iran’s escalating nuclear activities and the possibility of developing a nuclear weapon, an accusation Iran has denied.
Inspectors claimed two sites near the capital Tehran showed traces of uranium while the Islamic Republic insists its program is peaceful,
This is the first time the nuclear watchdog voted to censure Iran since November 2022.
