The UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board of governors has overwhelmingly passed a resolution criticising Iran for a lack of co-operation with the UN nuclear inspectorate, diplomats said on Wednesday.
Only two countries, Russia and China, opposed the text, while 30 voted in favour and three abstained, the diplomats told AFP.
The text says the board "expresses profound concern" that the uranium traces found at three undeclared sites remain unexplained due to insufficient co-operation by Iran, and calls on Tehran to engage with the watchdog "without delay".
The motion was submitted by the US, Britain, France and Germany to the International Atomic Energy Agency to censure Iran over its lack of co-operation.
It comes after Tehran turned off two cameras that the UN watchdog used to monitor one of the country's atomic sites.
An Iranian state TV report did not identify the site where the cameras had been switched off.
"So far, the IAEA has not only been ungrateful for Iran's extensive co-operation, but has also considered it as a duty," state TV said.
"From today, relevant authorities have ordered that surveillance cameras of the online enrichment monitor be shut down."
The resolution urging Iran to co-operate fully with the IAEA is the first since June 2020, when a similar motion censuring Iran was adopted.
It is a sign of growing western impatience after talks to revive the 2015 landmark nuclear accord with Iran stalled in March.
In a statement to the IAEA's board of governors, which meets this week, Britain, France and Germany said they "strongly urge Iran to stop escalating its nuclear programme and to urgently conclude [the] deal that is on the table".
"Its nuclear programme is now more advanced than at any point in the past," they said.
They said Iran's accumulation of enriched uranium has no "credible civilian justification".
Iran has always denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon.
According to the latest IAEA report, the country now has 43.1 kilograms of 60 per cent-enriched uranium.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on Monday it would be "a matter of just a few weeks" before Iran could obtain sufficient material needed for a nuclear weapon if it continued to develop its programme.
The IAEA said in its report last month that it still had questions that were "not clarified" regarding traces of enriched uranium found at three sites that Iran had not declared as being used for nuclear activity.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told state TV on Monday that Iran would reject the resolution, which would have "a negative impact both on the general direction of our co-operation with the IAEA and on our negotiations".
China and Russia, which with the UK, France and Germany are parties to the Iran nuclear deal, have said any resolution could disrupt the negotiation process.
Analysts say the high-stake negotiations are unlikely to fall apart because of the resolution.
There are two parallel but closely interwoven processes at play, Naysan Rafati, a senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, told The National on Tuesday.
The first is negotiations on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal to address Iran's present and future nuclear activity; and second, the IAEA protecting investigations to resolve questions about past work at undeclared sites.
"The latter has been inconclusively running along for a few years, and in March, while the talks in Vienna were trying to move toward conclusion, Tehran again committed to addressing the agency's concerns," Mr Rafati said.
- News agencies contributed to this report.
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
Company%20Profile
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
More from our neighbourhood series:
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Book%20Details
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
