Washington: The board of governors at the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has passed a resolution critical of Iran, the first of its kind since 2012, as tension mounts over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Friday’s resolution was put forward by European states and urges the Iranian government to provide inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with access to two sites to clarify whether undeclared nuclear activity took place there in the early 2000s.
It “calls on Iran to fully cooperate with the Agency and satisfy the Agency’s requests without any further delay, including by providing prompt access to the locations specified by the Agency”.
Iran has been blocking access to the sites for months, prompting a growing diplomatic row.
The resolution was carried by 25 votes in favour versus two against, with seven abstentions: South Africa, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Mongolia, Azerbaijan and Niger.
