IAEA board passes US-backed resolution demanding Iran account for enriched uranium stocks

The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency has passed a US-backed resolution calling on Iran to provide complete information on its enriched uranium stocks and allow inspectors access to verify them. The vote took place on Wednesday at a closed-door meeting of the 35-member board in Vienna. Iran condemned the move as politically motivated and warned it could complicate ceasefire talks with the United States.

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Diplomats told news agencies the resolution passed with 21 votes in favour. Russia, China and Niger voted against it, while 10 countries abstained. The draft was submitted by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Iran's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Reza Najafi, rejected the text as counterproductive, politically motivated and legally flawed. The resolution said the agency has not been able to verify whether uranium has been diverted and called on Iran to provide complete information on nuclear material inventories without delay. It also urged Tehran to grant the access needed for verification.

The IAEA estimates Iran had 440kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent when Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June last year, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Iran later suspended cooperation with the agency, and inspectors have not seen the material since. The vote comes amid heightened tension between Washington and Tehran and follows exchanges of strikes after the United States blamed Iran for the downing of an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.

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The row also sits against the backdrop of a ceasefire reached in April after weeks of attacks on Iran and retaliatory Iranian assaults across the Gulf region. The latest resolution adds pressure on Iran over a nuclear file that remains central to wider diplomatic efforts and to concerns about possible diversion of enriched material. The IAEA board is the agency's main policy-making body, and its resolutions can shape international pressure even when they do not carry direct enforcement powers.

In this case, the text reflects continuing concern among Western governments about the scale and status of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile. It also shows that cooperation between Iran and the agency remains strained after the suspension of inspections following the strikes on nuclear facilities. What happens next will depend on whether Iran provides the requested information and access, and whether the dispute affects the already fragile talks with the United States.

It is not yet clear how Tehran will respond beyond its initial condemnation, or whether the board will consider further steps if inspectors remain unable to verify the stockpile. The immediate focus will be on any diplomatic fallout and on whether the ceasefire negotiations can continue without further deterioration.

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