The United States and European allies are seeking an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution that would report Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear safeguards obligations, news outlets said Friday.
The U.S., Britain, France and Germany are lobbying members of the IAEA Board of Governors ahead of its upcoming meeting, seeking support for the measure, according to Reuters. If approved, it would be the first time in 20 years that the board has reported Iran to the Security Council.
The proposed resolution follows a June board finding that Iran was in breach of its safeguards obligations after failing to fully cooperate with an IAEA investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites. The move comes amid an ongoing dispute over IAEA access to Iran’s nuclear facilities following U.S. and Israeli strikes that damaged its enrichment infrastructure.
The IAEA remains concerned about Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity. The agency estimates more than 200 kilograms survived the strikes and remains at facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful and that it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, an Argentine diplomat, is also a candidate to become the next U.N. secretary-general, with the new secretary-general set to begin a five-year term in January 2027.