VIENNA (AP) — The International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors passed a resolution on Wednesday demanding that Iran fully cooperate with the agency, provide complete information about its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, and grant inspectors access to its nuclear sites. The resolution, approved by 21 of the 35 board members, declares that providing information and access is "essential and urgent" to verify that no nuclear material has been diverted.
Russia, China, and Niger voted against the measure, while 10 countries abstained and one did not vote due to being in arrears. The resolution was proposed by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States.
The resolution comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, following U.S. airstrikes against Iran early Wednesday and Iranian retaliatory strikes against countries in the region.
The escalating attacks threaten to derail peace efforts, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that the Iranian government would "pay the price" for stalled negotiations.
Since Israel and the United States struck Iran's nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June 2025, Iran has denied IAEA inspectors access to affected sites, despite its legal obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The IAEA has been unable to verify the status of Iran's stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the June bombing. According to the agency, Iran holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that this stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs if it decided to weaponize its program, though he emphasized that Iran does not currently have such a weapon. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, denounced the resolution, stating that it describes the situation in Iran "as being quite normal and as if nothing had happened." He argued that "under the current unprecedented security environment created by the attacks and continued threats by the aggressors, the legal, technical, and operational foundations for the normal implementation of safeguards in Iran have been destroyed." Najafi claimed that Iran has granted the IAEA access to "all unaffected facilities" and that the resolution "neglects all Iran's cooperation with the agency, even under war conditions."
The resolution also "deeply regrets" Iran's failure to remedy its noncompliance with nonproliferation obligations over the past 12 months. The IAEA board found Iran in noncompliance with its safeguards agreement last June for the first time in 20 years, just before the U.S.
and Israeli attacks. A key issue is the IAEA's long-running investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites in Iran, for which Tehran has failed to provide "technically credible answers" since 2019.
Western officials suspect these traces could indicate a secret nuclear weapons program that ended in 2003.
Wednesday's resolution stopped short of referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council for further sanctions, a move last taken in February 2006.
However, it leaves that option open, stating that the board "will stand ready to take further action," including addressing the timing and content of a formal noncompliance report for Security Council consideration.