US preparing draft resolution condemning Iran at IAEA
The United States is preparing a draft resolution condemning Iran ahead of next week’s meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors, diplomats said on Friday, a step that could complicate wider talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Washington and Tehran are negotiating an extension of their ceasefire that would pave the way for talks on issues including Iran’s nuclear program, with President Donald Trump insisting Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran says it never would.
Israeli and U.S. military strikes last June destroyed or badly damaged the three uranium-enrichment plants known to have been operating in Iran at the time. Much of its highly enriched uranium, however, is thought to have survived, though the U.N. nuclear watchdog has not had access to check.
With a quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board taking place next week, Washington is preparing a text, though it has yet to circulate it and details are therefore unclear, diplomats accredited to the IAEA said.
Iran has bristled at previous resolutions the board has passed against it, often retaliating by escalating its nuclear activities or scaling back cooperation with the agency. A more imminent concern this time are the talks with the U.S.
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