France, Britain, Germany, and the United States will introduce a censure resolution against Iran at the upcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors despite Tehran's threats to retaliate, Iran International has learned.
The resolution seeks to formally rebuke Tehran over its failure to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog and urges the Islamic Republic to take appropriate steps in this regard, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Iran International on Monday.
The decision by the US and its European allies to move forward with the censure resolution comes despite Iran's threat to retaliate if such a resolution is adopted.
"If the IAEA Board of Governors passes a censure resolution against Iran, the Islamic Republic will undoubtedly take reciprocal action and implement new measures in its nuclear program, which they will certainly not like," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the state TV on Saturday.
The IAEA Board of Governors will convene its regular November meeting in Vienna at 10:30 CET on Wednesday, 20 November. Board discussions are expected to include verification and monitoring in Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015) as well as the NPT safeguards agreement with Tehran, according to an IAEA press release.
The meeting will be held one week after the IAEA director general met Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran. In the meeting, Pezeshkian said Iran was prepared to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog to clear up "alleged ambiguities about the peaceful nuclear activity of our country".
Iran allowed Grossi and his team to tour Fordow and Natanz, two key nuclear sites, on Friday apparently in hopes that it would convince the Board of Governors not to move forward with the censure resolution. However, that strategy does not seem to have worked.
“Iran has not fulfilled its obligations under the NPT and Safeguards Agreements. The recent visit of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran has not changed this assessment," the German foreign ministry spokesperson told Iran International.
Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, Britain, the US, and Venezuela are the 35 members of the Board of Governors for 2024-2025.
According to the Rules and Procedures of the Board of Governors, decisions on most matters require a simple majority vote of the Members present and voting. However, certain key decisions, such as those related to the Agency's budget, the appointment of the Director General, and the reconsideration of proposals or amendments, require a two-thirds majority vote.
The strikes on October 26, targeted Iranian military facilities, including air defenses, following missile attacks on Israel by Iran earlier that month.
"In defending our territorial integrity and sovereignty, we seek no one's permission, and any aggression will undoubtedly be met with a decisive response," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday during his weekly briefing.
He also reaffirmed Iran’s support for regional militia groups, underscoring Tehran’s broader strategy in the region amidst ongoing hostilities.
Baghaei also said that the country's nuclear facilities must be protected from any potential attacks by Israel, in compliance with a resolution adopted more than three decades ago by the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.
There is no UN Security Council resolution that bans attacks on nuclear facilities, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did adopt General Conference Resolution (GC(XXXIV)/RES/533) in 1990 that prohibits armed attacks on nuclear facilities, "devoted to peaceful purposes." The resolution also calls for strengthening international cooperation on nuclear safety and radiological protection.
"This resolution is a clear rule that prohibits any threats against nuclear facilities," Baghaei said, but did not mention the wording which says "devoted to peaceful purposes. "Such threats endanger the national security of states, and the United Nations must provide a decisive response to them."
Israel's new defense minister said last week that the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities are now more exposed than ever, following Israel's October 26 airstrikes that targeted critical Iranian air defense systems.
In his remarks, Israel Katz said the vulnerability of Iranian nuclear sites has made it more plausible for Israel “to achieve the most important goal, to thwart and remove the threat of annihilation from hanging over the State of Israel."
“Our region has been familiar with the law-breaking approaches of the Zionist regime for decades. We will take all necessary actions to protect our nuclear facilities,” said Baghaei on Monday.
It is not clear what nuclear facilities Israel would target, but Iran's underground uranium enrichment sites, producing highly purified fissile material, might not be considered as peaceful.
Iranian authorities have consistently called for Israel's destruction, and until now, refused to call it anything other than “the Zionist entity.”
Responding to inquiries about European nations' willingness to negotiate, Baghaei said Iran is open to discussions. "We have never abandoned negotiations on the nuclear issue," he said. "The revival of the JCPOA has been an ongoing process, and Iran has consistently demonstrated its goodwill in these efforts."
Iran's nuclear talks during the Biden administration, centered around reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), remain a focal point of international diplomacy. The agreement aimed to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, but its future is now uncertain since the US withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to gradually breach its commitments. Recent negotiations have faced significant hurdles, including disagreements over sanctions relief, verification mechanisms, and guarantees against future US withdrawal. While Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, Western powers express concern over its enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
Baghaei pointed to a recent visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi as evidence of what he called Iran’s constructive approach.
"The visit was productive and positive, leading to constructive agreements. We expect the opposing parties to recognize Iran's positive approach and let the process proceed on a technical path, free from political pressure," he added.
He went on to say that ambiguities in Iran’s nuclear program raised by the IAEA lack a clear basis and were thoroughly discussed during Grossi's visit.
"Iran remains committed to ensuring that the Agency can operate without the disruptive and malicious pressures exerted by certain parties," Baghaei said, stressing the importance of allowing the IAEA to work independently of external political influences.
Iran's relationship with the IAEA has been fraught with tension in recent years, particularly over issues of transparency and compliance with nuclear agreements. The IAEA has repeatedly raised concerns about Iran's enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels and its lack of cooperation in granting access to key sites. Tehran, in turn, accuses the IAEA of being influenced by political pressures from Western powers and insists that its nuclear activities are peaceful and within its sovereign rights.
The report, released on Saturday, attributed the trend to decades of double-digit inflation, which has significantly worsened since 2019, topping 40 percent. Whaqt triggered the jump in inflation was US economic sanctions imposed in 2018.
Food poverty in Iran surged from 18 million people in 2017 to over 26 million by 2020, the report said, noting that with the current inflation rate discussions about investment, economic growth, and poverty reduction is impractical.
The report argues, "Given the current circumstances, monetary and fiscal policies should focus on stabilizing inflation rather than pursuing significant reductions. Expecting a substantial decline in inflation through specific monetary and fiscal measures is unrealistic."
The Chamber of Commerce Research Center also admitted that the government’s measures and policies to curb the sharp devaluation of the national currency and support production had limited success. Since 2018, Iran's rial has fallen more than 15-fold against the US dollar as sanctions reduced Tehran's oil exports.
“Considering the pressures on Iran's economy due to sanctions, negative economic prospects, and the severe damage to production and investment, as well as the limited success of monetary control policies, it would be better not to overly focus on strict contractionary policies... Instead, efforts should be directed toward managing inflation and achieving price stability to stimulate production,” read the report.
According to a recent report by the parliament’s research center, Iran's poverty rate increased by 0.4 percent in the last Iranian year (ended March 2024) compared to a year earlier, reaching 30.1%. This means that at least one-third of the population was unable to meet their basic needs and lived below the poverty line.
Additionally, a report by Ham-Mihan newspaper in Tehran said Sunday that more than half of Iranian households live below the relative poverty line, often resorting to installment purchases for basic necessities like meat, dairy, and household items.
The study by Iran's Chamber of Commerce also highlighted systemic issues fueling inflation, such as government inefficiency, excessive spending on public sector, and reliance on printing money to cover budget deficits.
To offset budget deficits and secure loans from financial institutions, the Iranian government has pressured the Central Bank to print unsupported money. According to IMF figures, liquidity in Iran has surged annually by 25-40% in recent years, with projected increases above 27% this year and next.
This increased liquidity has fueled runaway inflation. Over the past several years, Iran has consistently ranked among the top 10 countries with the highest inflation rates, and next year it is expected to have the sixth-highest inflation globally.