EU Presses IAEA to Report Iran Nuclear Issue to UN Security Council

The European Union on Tuesday called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council and General Assembly, citing Article 12 of the IAEA Statute. France, Germany, and Britain presented a draft resolution to IAEA board members, urging the agency to report Iran's non-compliance with its NPT Safeguards Agreement. The EU and US suspect Iran's nuclear fuel program is aimed at developing atomic weapons, a claim Tehran denies, saying its program is for peaceful electricity generation.

Key Takeaways:

• The European Union, backed by the United States and Japan, pressed the IAEA to report Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council and General Assembly based on Article 12 of the IAEA Statute.
• The EU resolution demands a UN Security Council mandate to urge Iran to grant the IAEA access to locations beyond legal obligations and to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.
• The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) generally supports Iran's stance on the nuclear issue and is still discussing a general position on the EU's proposal.
• IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei expressed hope for a resumption of nuclear negotiations with Iran through dialogue.
• The EU resolution requires a minimum of 18 votes from IAEA board members to be approved.

Statistics:

• 25-nation European Union bloc made the call to IAEA to report Iran's nuclear issue.
• 35-member IAEA board has 14 seats occupied by Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries.
• 18 votes are required from IAEA board members to approve the EU resolution.
• Iran's nuclear fuel program has been a point of contention between Iran and the international community.

Sources:

• Xinhua News Agency via COMTEX
• XINHUA NEWS AGENCY. Github