Chair,
On behalf of France, Germany and the United Kingdom and the United States, I thank Director General Grossi for his latest reports on Iran’s implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and for the comprehensive reporting on Iran’s nuclear programme. We commend the professionalism and independence of the Agency and its inspectors and appreciate their continued efforts under difficult circumstances.
The Board is aware that the UN Security Council recently reimposed six UN Security Council Resolutions on Iran, re-introducing legally binding restrictions on its nuclear programme, including suspension of all enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water related activities. Under the Charter of the United Nations, Member States are under an obligation to implement these decisions for the maintenance of international peace and security directly and through their actions in relevant international bodies.
Today, the UK, France, Germany and the US are tabling a resolution to clarify the IAEA’s reporting mandate, ensuring it provides regular reporting on Iran’s compliance with the nuclear elements of the reinstated Security Council Resolutions.
This resolution does not create new obligations for Iran; it restores certainty and provides a clear mandate for Agency reporting, returning to the same reporting it did before the JCPoA, under a single agenda item. This clarity is essential for the Agency to be able to fulfil its mandate.
The resolution also recalls Iran’s ongoing non-compliance with its legal obligations under its NPT Safeguards Agreement, which remains in force, and cannot be suspended under any circumstances. Iran has not granted access to all its safeguarded facilities. The Director General has stressed that it is indispensable and urgent for Iran to implement safeguard activities in accordance with this Agreement and he has highlighted serious gaps the continuity of knowledge in relation to Iran’s inventory of nuclear material, including Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) has been lost for over five months. Verification of these inventories is long overdue and critical to address concerns about possible diversion from peaceful use. Iran must honour these obligations by urgently providing the special report on its nuclear material and grant the Agency full access to its nuclear material and facilities. Iran must also implement the provisions of modified Code 3.1 without further delay.
The resolution thus requests no more than what Iran is already legally obliged to provide unhindered access, precise information on nuclear material accountancy and safeguarded nuclear facilities, and restoration of necessary monitoring arrangements. It reaffirms Iran’s right under Article IV of the NPT to peaceful nuclear energy – a right that is conditional on Iran’s full compliance with its NPT obligations.
Our message is clear Iran must resolve its safeguards issues without delay. It must provide practical cooperation through access, answers, restoration of monitoring, to enable the Agency to do its job and help rebuild confidence.
Chair,
Our delegations have engaged broadly with Board members to explain our thinking, solicit their feedback, and listen to their views on these matters. We thank those that have already indicated support for this resolution, and request the text be made public, should it be adopted.
We invite all Board members to join us today in voting in favour of this resolution.
Thank you.
