UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has passed a resolution over the Iranian nucIear programme, calling for complete suspension of activities in order to resolve “outstanding safeguards issues.”
The IAEA noted that after nearly three years of intensive verification activity, the Agency is not yet in a position to clarify some important issues relating to Iran’s nuclear programme or to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran.
Expressing serious concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, and agreeing that an extensive period of confidence-building is required from Iran, the Agency calls on Iran to re-establish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency. In addition, the Agency calls on Iran to reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water, ratify promptly and implement in full the Additional Protocol and implement transparency measures.
The Agency is to report to the Security Council of the United Nations that these steps are required and the Director General is to report on the implementation of this and previous resolutions to the next session of the Board in March and immediately convey, together with any new resolutions, that report to the Security Council.
Iran resumed uranium conversion activities at its Isfahan facility on
8 August 2005 and took steps to resume enrichment activities on 10 January 2006, a move which prompted the current action from the international community. However, the Islamic republic remains defiant and has notified the IAEA that its inspectors would no longer be allowed to conduct short-notice, wide-reaching inspection trips and that uranium enrichment work would resume.