UN nuclear watchdog passes resolution against Iran

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors passed a resolution chiding Iran’s poor cooperation with the agency after hours of heated exchanges, diplomats said late on Thursday.

The censure motion brought by Britain, France, Germany and the United States at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board follows a similar one in June.

But it comes as tensions run high over Iran’s atomic program, with critics fearing that Tehran is attempting to develop a nuclear weapon — which the Islamic Republic denies.

The resolution — which China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against — was carried by 19 votes in favor, with 12 countries abstaining from the vote, two diplomats said.

Ahead of Thursday’s vote, the United States and its European allies sought to rally support for their resolution by denouncing Iran.

In its national statement to the board, Washington said that Tehran’s nuclear activities “remained deeply troubling”, adding that the country’s cooperation was falling “far short” of expectations.

European powers said Iran’s “behavior in the nuclear realm” still represented “a threat to international security.”

“The international community must remain firm in its determination to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons,” Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement.