VIENNA, June 5 (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Wednesday calling on Iran to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites, reverse its barring of inspectors and step up cooperation with the watchdog.
Below are highlights from the three-page resolution text seen by Reuters that Britain, France and Germany submitted to the Board ahead of the vote.The Board of Governors,…
(d) Noting the Director General’s deep concern that undeclared nuclear material had been present at several undeclared locations in Iran and that its current location(s) are not known to the Agency, and his assessment that nuclear material used in Iran was not declared as required under Iran‘s NPT Safeguards Agreement …
(g) Recalling that it has been four years since the Board of Governors’ resolution of 19 June 2020 … which called upon Iran to fully cooperate with the Agency and to satisfy the Agency’s requests without any further delay …(h) Recalling the Board of Governors’ resolution of 8 June 2022 … which called upon Iran to act on an urgent basis to fulfil its legal obligations and, without delay, take up the Director General’s offer of further engagement to clarify and resolve all outstanding safeguards issues …(i) Recalling the Board of Governors’ resolution of 17 November 2022 which decided that it is essential and urgent in order to ensure verification of the non-diversion of nuclear material that Iran acts to fulfil its legal obligations and, with a view to clarifying all outstanding issues, take without delay all actions specified in the resolution …(j) Noting that despite the above resolutions and many opportunities provided by the Director General over a number of years, Iran has neither provided the Agency with technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at several undeclared locations in Iran nor informed the Agency of the current location(s) of nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment …(l) Noting with serious concern the Director General’s conclusion that these issues stem from Iran‘s obligations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement and need to be resolved for the Agency to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran‘s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful … (m) Noting also the Director General’s assessment that the withdrawal by Iran of the designation of several experienced Agency inspectors was exercised in a manner that directly and severely affects the Agency’s ability to conduct its verification activities in Iran …(p) Noting the recent public statements made in Iran during this reporting period regarding its technical capabilities to produce nuclear weapons and possible changes to Iran‘s nuclear doctrine, which only increase the Director General’s concerns about the correctness and completeness of Iran‘s safeguards declarations,
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2. Calls on Iran to provide sufficient cooperation with the Agency and take the essential and urgent actions as decided by the Board in its November 2022 resolution, to resolve safeguards issues which remain outstanding despite numerous interactions with the Agency since 2019;
3. Calls on Iran to implement without delay the Joint Statement between the IAEA and Iran of 4 March 2023 and in particular their safeguards elements;
4. Calls on Iran to reverse its withdrawal of the designations of several experienced Agency inspectors which is essential to fully allow the Agency to conduct its verification activities in Iran effectively …
6. Reaffirms its decision that it is essential and urgent in order to ensure verification of the nondiversion of nuclear material that Iran act to fulfil its legal obligations and, with a view to clarifying all outstanding safeguards issues, reiterates its call on Iran to take the following actions without delay:
i. Provide technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin in two undeclared locations in Iran,
ii. Inform the Agency of the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of the contaminated equipment, iii. Provide all information, documentation and answers the Agency requires for that purpose, iv. Provide access to locations and material the Agency requires for that purpose, as well as for the taking of samples as deemed appropriate by the Agency;
8. Considers that a continued failure by Iran to provide the necessary, full and unambiguous cooperation with the Agency to resolve all outstanding safeguards issues, may necessitate the production, by the Director General, of a comprehensive and updated assessment on the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran‘s nuclear program, based on the information available.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
