IAEA board resolution declaring Iran in breach of non-proliferation duties

VIENNA (Reuters) -Below are key passages from a four-page resolution on Iran that diplomats said the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors passed on Thursday. The text is still confidential and was seen by Reuters.

The Board of Governors,...

(d) Recalling the Board of Governors' resolutions of 19 June 2020... , of 8 June 2022 ... , of 17 November 2022 ..., of 5 June 2024 ..., and of 21 November 2024 ..., which called upon Iran to fully cooperate with the Agency and decided that it is essential and urgent, in order to ensure verification of the non-diversion of nuclear material, that Iran act to fulfil its legal obligations and, with a view to clarifying all outstanding issues, take all specified actions without delay,

(e) Regretting that despite the above resolutions by the Board and numerous opportunities provided by the Director General since 2019, Iran has failed to provide the co-operation required under its Safeguards Agreement, impeding Agency verification activities, sanitizing locations, and repeatedly failing to provide the Agency with technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at several undeclared locations in Iran or information on the current location(s) of nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment, instead stating, inconsistent with the Agency's findings, that it has declared all nuclear material and activities required under its Safeguards Agreement,

(f) Noting the Director General's conclusion ... that Iran did not declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran, specifically, Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, and Turquzabad, and that, because of the lack of technically credible answers by Iran, the Agency is not in a position to determine whether the nuclear material at these undeclared locations in Iran has been consumed, mixed with other declared material, or is still outside of Safeguards,

(g) Noting with concern the Agency's conclusion that these undeclared locations were part of an undeclared, structured programme carried out by Iran until the early 2000s, and that some of these activities used undeclared nuclear material,

(h) Noting with concern the Agency's conclusion that Iran retained unknown nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment, and other assets, arising from the former undeclared structured nuclear programme, at Turquzabad in the period 2009 until 2018, after which items were removed from the location, the whereabouts of which remain unknown,

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(k) Noting that Iran's failure on numerous occasions to co-operate to facilitate the implementation of Safeguards, while pursuing activities consistent with concealment efforts, including extensive sanitization and the provision of inaccurate explanations, represents a significant impediment to the Agency's ability to clarify and verify Iran's declarations and the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme,

(n) Regretting Iran's failure to provide the Agency with technically credible explanations regarding undeclared nuclear material,

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(o) Reiterating its concern that Iran has still not provided necessary, full and unambiguous cooperation with the Agency and has not taken the essential and urgent actions as decided by the Board in its June and November 2024 resolutions ... , and

(p) Concerned that the Agency is at an impasse with regards to resolving these issues,

1. Deeply regrets that, despite repeated calls from the Board and many opportunities offered, Iran has failed to co-operate fully with the Agency, as required by its Safeguards Agreement;

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3. Finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to provide the Agency with full and timely cooperation regarding undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with the Agency ...;

4. Finds also consistent with Article 19 of Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement ... that the Agency is not able to verify that there has been no diversion of nuclear material required to be safeguarded under the Agreement to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;

5. Finds also that the Director General's inability ... to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, consistent with Article III.B.4 of the Agency's Statute, and expresses its grave concern in this regard;

6. ... The Board will address the timing and content of the report required under Article XII.C of the Agency's Statute and also provided for in Article 19 of Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and the notification required under Article III.B.4 of the Agency's Statute;

7. Reaffirms its decision that it is essential and urgent in order to ensure verification of the nondiversion of nuclear material that Iran act to fulfil its legal obligations and, with a view to clarifying all outstanding Safeguards issues, take the following actions without delay:

i. Provide technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin in two undeclared locations in Iran,

ii. Inform the Agency of the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of the contaminated equipment,

iii. Provide all information, documentation and answers the Agency requires for that purpose, and

iv. Provide access to locations and material the Agency requires for that purpose, as well as for the taking of samples as deemed appropriate by the Agency;

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10. Calls upon Iran to urgently remedy its non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement by taking all steps deemed necessary by the Agency and the Board, so that the Director General can provide the necessary assurances regarding the correctness and completeness of Iran's declarations pursuant to its Safeguards Agreement;

11. Stresses its support for a diplomatic solution to the problems posed by the Iranian nuclear programme, including the talks between the United States and Iran, leading to an agreement that addresses all international concerns related to Iran's nuclear activities, encouraging all parties to constructively engage in diplomacy; ...

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Alex Richardson)