The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on Thursday announced that Iran is in breach of its nuclear obligations, reported Reuters.
Meanwhile, Tehran responded by announcing “countermeasures,” including the establishment of a new enrichment facility and the installation of advanced centrifuges.
Nuclear Non-Compliance
On Thursday, the IAEA’s Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in 20 years – a move that raises the prospect of escalating the issue to the UN Security Council.
This could lead to invoking the so-called “snapback” of UN sanctions on Tehran by one of the Western countries involved in the original 2015 nuclear deal.
At the UN nuclear watchdog meeting in Vienna, 19 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while 3 voted against and 11 abstained.
Tehran’s Reaction
Following the IAEA‘s announcement, Iran said it would establish a new enrichment facility in a “secure location,” in addition to other countermeasures to respond to what it described as a “political resolution,” according to the Associated Press (AP).
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to respond to this political resolution,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Atomic Energy Organization said in a joint statement.
Moreover, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, told the Iranian state TV that his agency informed the UN nuclear watchdog of “specific and effective” actions in response to the resolution.
“One is the launch of a third secure site” for enrichment, he said. The other action is replacing old centrifuges for advanced ones at Fordo, which will significantly boost Iran’s production of enriched materials.
Escalating Tensions
The IAEA resolution comes at a time of rising tensions, as the US State and Defense departments prepared a partial evacuation of non-essential personnel from locations around the Middle East due to heightened security risks in the region, AP reported.
Moreover, the US Embassy in Israel issued a security alert instructing American government employees and their families to remain in the Tel Aviv area over security concerns.
The US President, Donald Trump, on Wednesday said that Washington was pulling American personnel out of the region because “it could be a dangerous place” and that it would not allow Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Iran’s actions undermine the global Non-Proliferation Treaty and posed an imminent threat to regional and international security and stability.
An Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was informed of a potential Israeli strike and was ready to respond. “We don’t want tensions and prefer diplomacy to resolve the (nuclear) issue, but our armed forces are fully ready to respond to any military strike,” he said.
US-Iran Nuclear Talks
The US and Iran will hold a sixth round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in Oman on Sunday, according to the Omani Foreign Minister.
Washington and Tehran are engaging in talks to reach a new agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. The US President, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened of military action if negotiations failed. However, he blocked a planned Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites in April, favoring a negotiated deal.
Iran is expected to submit a counter-proposal in the next round of talks in Oman after rejecting a US proposal, according to Reuters.
On Wednesday, the head of US Central Command, General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, said that he presented the US President with “a wide range of options” to prevent Iran from going nuclear.
In response, Iran’s UN mission rejected the US threats. “Threats of ‘overwhelming force’ won’t change facts: Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon and US militarism only fuels instability,” it said in a statement on X.
