UN watchdog demands Iran provide information on nuclear stockpile

Iran slams US-backed IAEA solution arsenic ‘politically motivated’ and warns it could complicate ceasefire talks.

The governing committee of the United Nations atomic watchdog has passed a United States-backed solution demanding Iran supply “complete information” connected its enriched ⁠uranium stocks and assistance entree to inspectors to verify them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) solution came connected Wednesday, portion the US and Iran exchanged strikes aft Washington blamed Tehran for the downing of an Apache chopper successful the Strait of Hormuz.

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The strikes marked the astir important escalation since a ceasefire successful April ended weeks of devastating US and Israeli attacks connected Iran and retaliatory Iranian assaults crossed the Gulf region.

Iran condemned the solution and warned it could hinder efforts to extremity the war.

The solution was submitted to the 35-member IAEA committee by the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. It passed with 21 votes successful favour, diplomats astatine the closed-door gathering told Reuters and AFP quality agencies.

Russia, China and Niger voted against it, portion 10 abstained, they said.

One state did not vote.

The IAEA estimates that Iran had 440kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent, adjacent to weapons grade, erstwhile Israel and the US launched their archetypal attacks connected the state successful June past year.

Three of Iran’s main atomic sites successful Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were hit.

Iran subsequently suspended practice with the IAEA, and inspectors person not seen the worldly since.

The solution said the IAEA has not been capable to verify whether uranium has been diverted and that Iran should “provide the Agency with implicit accusation connected atomic worldly inventories”.

It besides called connected Iran to assistance the IAEA the entree it needs to verify that “without delay”.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN successful Vienna, Reza Najafi, rejected the solution arsenic “counterproductive”, “politically motivated” and “legally flawed”.

He warned of fallout connected the already fraught talks with US negotiators implicit ending the warfare completely.

“It further complicates the volatile situation, volatile ceasefire and the unfinished negotiations betwixt Iran and the US,” helium told AFP, adding: “We person warned astir the consequences of specified a wrongful enactment by the US and its supporters.”

Earlier, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi described the solution arsenic an effort to displacement the blasted for the US-Israeli attacks connected Iran’s atomic facilities backmost onto Tehran.

“This is simply a reversal of responsibility,” Gharibabadi wrote connected X connected Tuesday. “They people facilities nether safeguards, disrupt atomic information and verification possibilities, and past usage the Board of Governors to unit Iran,” helium said astir the US and Israel.

“The Board of Governors should not go a venue for whitewashing subject aggression and shifting its costs onto the unfortunate country,” helium added.

The US and Iran are in talks ⁠aimed astatine extending their ceasefire and paving the mode for wider negotiations connected ⁠issues including Iran’s atomic programme.

Western nations person agelong accused Iran of seeking a atomic weapon, but Tehran denies the charge.