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On June 12, 19 the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted successful favour of declaring “that Iran is successful breach of its obligations nether its 1974 Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement”.
Just a time later, Israel mounted what it called “preliminary strikes” against atomic facilities successful Iran and declared a authorities of exigency astatine home.
Three Board members — China, Russia, and Venezuela — voted against the solution portion 11 abstained. The Board represents 35 states successful all.
The Board besides expressed “grave concern” implicit Iran’s inability to explicate traces of uranium recovered astatine the country’s Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, and Turquzabad sites.
Resolution welcomed
The IAEA is the U.N. atomic watchdog tasked with promoting the usage of atomic vigor for peaceful purposes and to discourage subject applications, including successful atomic weapons.
This is the archetypal clip the Board has formally established non-compliance, which is required earlier it tin escalate the substance with the U.N. Security Council. A erstwhile solution had lone “urged” Iran’s cooperation.
Other Gulf states person welcomed the resolution. Israel, successful summation to launching its strikes successful the aboriginal hours of June 13, repeated its stance that it won’t “allow” Iran to enrich uranium to 90%, which is required to nutrient atomic weapons.
Tehran reacted by denouncing the solution arsenic “political” and announcing plans for a caller deep-underground enrichment complex, upgrades to centrifuges astatine its Fordow enrichment facility, and different “proportional measures”.
Following Israeli strikes, Tehran besides said it had placed its aerial defence strategy connected alert. Israeli subject officials besides claimed that Iran had mobilised a tiny fleet of drones.
Invoking Article XII.C
The Board of Governors approves information standards, sets the IAEA’s budget, and appoints the manager wide with the support of the body’s General Conference.
If and erstwhile IAEA inspectors study “non-compliance,” the Board tin besides telephone connected the authorities to remedy the breach, curtail method assistance to the offending country, request the instrumentality of supplied atomic instrumentality oregon materials, and study the substance to each IAEA members.
These powers are specified nether Article XII.C of its 1957 statute. Thus far, this Article has been invoked lone six times: against Iraq (1991), Romania (1992), North Korea (1993), Iran (2006), Libya (2004), and Syria (2011).
At contiguous the IAEA has astir $1.5 million’s worthy of projects successful Iran, including successful the signifier of radiopharmaceuticals, h2o desalination projects, and non-destructive atomic tests.
Iran present has a “reasonable” magnitude of clip wrong which to respond to the Board’s questions. If it doesn’t bash so, the Board has the discretion to escalate its concerns up to the U.N. Security Council.
‘Not capable to verify’
Under the 1974 Agreement, Iran is required to supply the IAEA with an inventory of atomic materials and elaborate information of immoderate installation wherever atomic worldly is present.
It besides had to notify the IAEA earlier caller facilities are built oregon modified, let routine, ad hoc and peculiar inspections, and support on-site devices that let the IAEA to surveil the question of atomic material, particularly for limb use.
In its latest resolution, the Board besides found, “consistent with Article 19 of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, … that the Agency is not capable to verify that determination has been nary diversion of atomic worldly required to beryllium safeguarded nether the Agreement to atomic weapons oregon different atomic explosive devices.”
If the past is immoderate indication, the Board is apt to ballot connected a follow-up study during different gathering successful September 2025.
Once the Security Council receives the Board’s report, it whitethorn contented a statesmanlike statement, follow a solution demanding compliance, oregon reconstruct oregon grow sanctions against Iran.
Next steps
The timing of the Board’s solution is notable: lone 4 months earlier the U.N.’s alleviation from sanctions nether the 2015 atomic woody expires connected October 18. After this date, the sanctions are expected to drawback back.
The solution besides paralleled back-channel talks successful Oman, which person been stalled.
The U.S. has already said it could enactment a “special inspection” of Iran’s atomic facilities. IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi has besides offered a “focused method dialogue” with Iran portion besides cautioning that helium would enactment Iran’s nonaccomplishment to comply successful his August study to the Board.
Russia and China connected the different manus person said the solution “politicises” safeguards. They whitethorn besides veto the Board’s Security Council referral aboriginal this twelvemonth though they haven’t indicated arsenic much.
Published - June 13, 2025 12:21 p.m. IST
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