Tehran Iran is seeking to introduce a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) annual General Conference to prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities. The move comes after a 12-day conflict in June and has the backing of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which recently approved the resumption of nuclear inspections.
Senior nuclear representatives are attending the 69th General Conference in Vienna, running from Monday to Friday. While the proposed resolution’s wording has not been publicly disclosed, Iran says it aims to highlight double standards within the IAEA. Officials argue that the agency failed to condemn strikes on Iranian facilities, contrasting this with its vocal criticism of attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, described the conference as an opportunity to scrutinize IAEA conduct. He criticized what he called the agency’s “lack of professional conduct” and accused it of applying double standards.
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Deputy nuclear chief Behrouz Kamalvandi noted that similar measures have precedent. He cited UN Security Council Resolution 487, which condemned Israel’s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak reactor, as well as IAEA resolutions from 1985 and 1990 that underscored the need to protect safeguarded nuclear sites.
Despite this, officials admit the new proposal may not reach a vote, with reports that Washington is pressuring member states to block it. According to Kamalvandi, the US has even warned of cutting support to the agency if the resolution is pursued.
The debate takes place against the backdrop of strained nuclear diplomacy. Since Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018, the IAEA Board of Governors has issued several censure resolutions against Tehran. Iran, however, continues to insist that its program is strictly for peaceful purposes, and both US intelligence and the IAEA have said this year they found no evidence of weapons development.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently reached a deal with the IAEA in Cairo to restart inspections. The arrangement, approved by the Supreme National Security Council, allows case-by-case access but remains controversial among political hardliners. The council emphasized that inspectors currently only have access to Bushehr and that bombed sites will be evaluated for safety before visits.
The council also warned that any new hostile measures, including the reactivation of suspended UN Security Council sanctions, could lead to the suspension of the inspection agreement.
