The UN nuclear watchdog passed a resolution on Saturday requiring that Iran be reported to the Security Council for failing to convince the international community that its nuclear programme was entirely peaceful.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) governing board approved the resolution despite threats by Iran to begin enriching uranium and curtail IAEA inspections.
The resolution was drafted by Britain, France and Germany and backed by the United States, but it was watered down by the EU trio, who had wanted Iran to be referred to the Council now.
With 22 votes for, one against and 12 abstentions, the outcome also highlighted the split between Western nations and others such as Russia, China and South Africa, which disagree with the EU three and Washington on how to deal with Iran.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said the vote was a valid decision supported by a majority but added that the international divide was worrying.
"I was deeply disturbed by the lack of any mention of arms control and disarmament at the (UN) summit in New York last week. And today I see also a divided board. That is not the way I should hope we would continue to proceed," he said.
Iran's top delegate to the meeting said the West had failed.
"The United Sates and United Kingdom wanted ... to send the case to the UN Security Council now. And at this session, they failed," Javad Vaeedi told reporters.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told ISNA students news agency: "This resolution has no legal basis and is unacceptable ... Iran's answer will be announced after the return of the Iranian team from Vienna and necessary reviews."
The resolution requires that Tehran be reported to the Security Council at an unspecified date, meaning Iran would probably not be referred until the IAEA board meets in November at the earliest, diplomats say.
The UN Security Council can impose sanctions on Iran, but Russia and China as permanent members hold veto powers.
US mission spokesman Matt Boland told reporters India's vote for the resolution showed it shared international "concern with Iran's established pattern of deception".
The resolution, which diplomats said was prepared in close consultation with Washington, said Iran's "many failures and breaches" of its nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement constituted "non-compliance" with the pact.
It said there was an "absence of confidence" that Iran's atomic programme was exclusively peaceful and this gave rise to questions "within the competence of the Security Council".
Tehran has threatened to retaliate.
Comments
Comments are closed.