Western powers seek first IAEA referral of Iran in 20 years as inspectors remain blocked from key nuclear sites
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – The United States, Britain, France, and Germany are pressing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council, accusing Tehran of violating its nuclear obligations and refusing to fully account for its enriched uranium stockpile.
According to Reuters, diplomats said the four Western powers are seeking a resolution next week that would mark the first time in two decades that Iran’s nuclear file has been sent back to the Security Council through the IAEA process.
The move follows months of mounting alarm over Iran’s refusal to grant IAEA inspectors full access to damaged nuclear sites and provide reliable information about its uranium inventory. The IAEA has said it lost continuity of knowledge over Iran’s nuclear material after inspectors were withdrawn amid military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, and that Iran’s later suspension of cooperation deepened the crisis.
Before the strikes, the IAEA estimated Iran had accumulated 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity — near weapons-grade level. Western governments say Tehran’s failure to cooperate has made it impossible to verify whether that material remains under peaceful control.
Iran has repeatedly denied seeking nuclear weapons, but its actions have continued to sharpen international concern. The proposed resolution reportedly demands that Tehran comply with its safeguards obligations, give inspectors access, and allow the IAEA to verify its nuclear material.
Any move at the Security Council could face resistance from Russia and China, both of which have opposed Western pressure campaigns against Tehran. Still, the referral would carry enormous diplomatic weight, signaling that the West no longer views Iran’s nuclear violations as merely a technical dispute, but as a direct challenge to global nonproliferation order.
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