VIENNA: The US and three European allies have threatened Iran with another resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog’s board demanding action on issues such as explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites, but left open whether or when they might follow through.
The warning delivered by Britain, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — and the US to a quarterly International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting published on Thursday comes as the West’s standoff with Iran has been complicated by secret US-Iran talks.
A November resolution ordered Tehran to cooperate urgently with the IAEA’s investigation into the presence of uranium particles at three undeclared sites, since narrowed down to two.
Western powers have recently condemned Iran for stonewalling the IAEA on that and other issues like the re-installation surveillance cameras removed last year, and for enriching uranium to up to 60 percent purity, close to weapons grade. But in parallel diplomats say the United States has held secret “de-escalation” talks with Iran, potentially muddying the waters.
Those de-escalation talks, which Washington does not acknowledge, cover issues such as Iran’s recent slowdown of enrichment to 60 percent purity, frozen Iranian funds abroad, and a prisoner swap, diplomats say.
“If Iran fails to implement the essential and urgent actions contained in the November 2022 Resolution and the 4th March Joint Statement in full, the Board will have to be prepared to take further action in support of the (IAEA) Secretariat to hold Iran accountable in the future, including the possibility of a resolution,” the four Western powers said in a statement to the 35-nation IAEA board.
Iran tends to bristle at resolutions against it and respond by expanding or accelerating its nuclear activities. Iran says its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful uses. Western powers say there is no credible civilian explanation for it.
The joint statement addressed the re-installation of monitoring equipment such as cameras but only a fraction of the cameras the IAEA wants to put in place have been set up.
Rather than seek another binding resolution against Tehran for the lack of progress on these issues at this week’s IAEA board meeting, however, the Western powers issued a non-binding joint statement with 59 other countries calling on Iran to “act immediately” on issues including explaining the uranium traces.
A total of 22 countries of the 35 on the board backed the statement, fewer than the 26 that supported the resolution in November.
US, Europeans again threaten Iran with IAEA resolution but leave timing open
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US, Europeans again threaten Iran with IAEA resolution but leave timing open
- Warning was delivered by Britain, France, Germany and the US to a quarterly IAEA Board of Governors meeting
- November resolution ordered Tehran to cooperate urgently with the IAEA’s investigation
German parliament speaker visits Gaza
- Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust
BERLIN: The speaker of Germany’s lower house of parliament briefly visited the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the body told AFP.
Julia Kloeckner spent “about an hour in the part of Gaza controlled by Israeli army forces,” parliament said, becoming the first German official to visit the territory since Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the devastating war.
Since the start of the conflict, Israel has drastically restricted access to the densely populated coastal strip.
In a statement shared by her office, Kloeckner said it was essential for politicians to have access to “reliable assessments of the situation” in Gaza.
“I expressly welcome the fact that Israel has now, for the first time, granted me, a parliamentary observer, access to the Gaza Strip,” she said.
However, she was only able to gain a “limited insight” into the situation on the ground during her trip, she said.
Kloeckner appealed to Israel to “continue on this path of openness” and emphasized that the so-called yellow line, which designates Israeli military zones inside the Gaza Strip, must “not become a permanent barrier.”
The German foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.
But in recent months, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In August, Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel, which was lifted in November after the announcement of what has proved to be a fragile ceasefire for Gaza.
Merz visited Israel in December and reaffirmed Germany’s support.
But in a sign of lingering tension, Germany’s foreign ministry on Wednesday criticized Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as a step toward “de facto annexation.”
