Key Points
- Proposed resolution could mark Iran’s first referral in 20 years.
- IAEA cannot verify Iran’s remaining enriched uranium stocks.
- Iran held 440.9 kg enriched to 60% before bombings.
- Western powers say Tehran remains in nuclear non-compliance.
- Russia and China could veto Security Council action.
ISLAMABAD: The United States, Britain, France and Germany are seeking a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency ((IAEA)’s board next week that would report Iran to the United Nations Security Council “over its nuclear activities”, according to diplomats and a draft resolution seen by Reuters.
If adopted, the measure would represent the first time in 20 years that Iran is referred to the Security Council by the UN nuclear watchdog, Reuters reported on Friday.
The proposed resolution follows an IAEA board decision on June 12, 2025, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations for failing to fully cooperate with an investigation into uranium traces discovered at undeclared sites.
Nuclear sites hit
Israel began bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities the following day, with the United States later joining the attacks, according to Reuters. Iran’s uranium-enrichment facilities were destroyed or severely damaged during the conflict.
Since the strikes, Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors to return to the bombed facilities or independently verify the condition of its remaining enriched-uranium stocks, Reuters reported.
Some of Iran’s uranium had been enriched to as much as 60 per cent purity — considerably above the level generally needed for civilian nuclear power generation and relatively close to weapons-grade enrichment.
The lack of access has become a major point of contention between Tehran and the IAEA, with the agency unable to establish the current status of Iran’s enriched-uranium inventory.
Fresh diplomatic escalation
A referral to the Security Council would represent a significant escalation in the long-running dispute between Iran and the IAEA.
According to the draft seen by s, the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors would request the agency’s director general to transmit the new resolution, along with earlier resolutions on Iran, to members of the agency, the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly.
The draft also reiterates demands that Iran urgently address what it describes as its non-compliance with its safeguards agreement.
It calls on Tehran to take the steps considered necessary by the IAEA and its board so that the agency’s director general can provide assurances about the “correctness and completeness” of Iran’s nuclear declarations.
The draft has not yet been formally submitted to the board, while negotiations over its precise wording are continuing, diplomats told Reuters.
Whenever the four Western powers have put forward draft resolutions on Iran in recent years, they have been adopted, Reuters reported.
Security Council action uncertain
Despite the likely passage of the IAEA resolution, concrete action against Iran by the UN Security Council appears unlikely, according to Reuters.
Iran has the backing of Russia and China, both permanent members of the Security Council with veto power. Their ability to block substantive Security Council measures could, therefore, limit the practical consequences of the referral.
The proposed move also comes amid broader tensions between Iran and the United States following the conflict and attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Reuters reported that it remains unclear what additional repercussions the IAEA action could have for Tehran’s confrontation with Washington.
Iran’s enrichment stockpile
Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has the right to pursue nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment, for peaceful purposes.
Tehran maintains that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
The IAEA estimated that Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent before its nuclear sites were bombed, according to Reuters.
Under the IAEA’s calculation method, that quantity could theoretically provide enough material for about 10 nuclear weapons if enriched further to weapons-grade levels.
