Iran faces new nuclear pressure from IAEA

VIENNA, Austria – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) referred Iran to the United Nations Security Council on September 9, marking the first time in two decades that the agency has taken such a step against the country. The referral accuses Tehran of failing to cooperate with an ongoing investigation into traces of uranium found at sites that Iran had not declared to inspectors.

Western governments say the uranium traces could indicate that Iran secretly worked on a nuclear weapons program until 2003. Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes.

Twenty-three of the 35 members of the IAEA Board of Governors voted in favor of the resolution. China, Russia and Niger voted against it, while eight countries abstained and one did not vote because it was behind on its financial contributions. The United States, Britain, France and Germany proposed the resolution.

The decision follows a June 2025 IAEA board finding that Iran had breached its nonproliferation obligations by not cooperating with the investigation into the unexplained uranium traces. The draft resolution, reviewed by The Associated Press, asked IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to report the agency’s concerns to both the Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly under the relevant provisions of the IAEA’s founding statute.

Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Reza Najafi, rejected the resolution, calling it a political move that damaged confidence in the I

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