PRESS RELEASE : Resolution on Iran’s non-cooperation with the IAEA – E3 statement [June 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 June 2024.

On behalf of France, Germany, the UK, the UK Ambassador to the IAEA Corinne Kitsell introduced a resolution on Iran’s insufficient cooperation with the IAEA.

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honour to speak now on behalf of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We would like to thank the Director General for his report on safeguards in Iran. We commend the Agency for its continued efforts to engage Iran to clarify and resolve the outstanding safeguards issues.

Chair,

It has been five years since the Agency first detected nuclear material at Turquzabad, and four years since nuclear material was detected at Varamin. In that time, the Board has, on numerous occasions, expressed its concern about these issues. We recall the last resolution adopted by this Board in November 2022, when the Board decided it was essential and urgent that Iran clarify all outstanding safeguards issues. One and a half years later, the Director General’s latest report shows that once again, Iran has made no progress to resolve these issues. Instead of implementing this resolution and resolving outstanding issues, Iran has taken further negative steps, including announcing the development of new facilities without providing design information to the Agency, in clear violation of its legal obligations under Modified Code 3.1.; and de-designating several experienced Agency inspectors essential to the Agency’s verification work. These actions show Iran’s flagrant disregard for its safeguards obligations and the work of the IAEA.

Chair,

Over a year has passed since Iran and the IAEA signed their Joint Statement in March 2023. Iran has not implemented the commitments it signed up to in this statement, despite ample time and space to do so. Nor has Iran implemented the agreements it made with the IAEA in March 2022, December 2021, September 2021, and August 2020. Indeed, Iran has made repeatedly clear that it does not feel bound to implement any voluntary commitments with the Agency that were agreed in good faith.

Chair,

Over five years, Iran has been given unprecedented opportunities to clarify and resolve the open safeguards questions – issues which call into question the credibility of Iran’s safeguards declarations and the possibility of undeclared nuclear material in Iran today. No other Member State has been afforded such time and patience by this Board to resolve issues critical to the correctness and completeness of its safeguards declarations. Whilst these issues remain unresolved, the Agency has made clear that it is unable to assure that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful. At a time when Iran’s nuclear programme has never been more advanced, this is of grave concern to us all. This is especially the case when Iran has made several public statements on its technical capability to build a nuclear weapon, and possible changes to its nuclear doctrine – in contradiction with Iran’s obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Chair, colleagues,

We believe it is now necessary that the Board take action to send a clear message to Iran that it cannot continue on its path, and that it must urgently co-operate with the Agency to resolve these issues, as it is legally obliged to do under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement under the NPT. We therefore propose to the Board a resolution on this issue. We must demonstrate our resolve and our collective responsibility as Board members to renew our support to the DG and the Agency’s efforts to ensure that safeguards are implemented in a fair and objective manner.

For the sake of the integrity of the international non-proliferation architecture and ultimately, global security, we cannot allow Iran to evade its obligations any longer. Our utmost objective is to provide full support to the Agency and the Director-General and call upon Iran to provide the substantive cooperation required to clarify and resolve all outstanding safeguards issues.

Our draft resolution submitted for the Board’s consideration contains the following main points:

1. First, the Board would express continued, strong support for the Agency’s professional and impartial efforts in carrying out its mandate to verify the implementation of Iran’s safeguards obligations.
2. Second, the Board would reiterate its decision that it is essential and urgent, in accordance with Article 18 of Iran’s NPT Safeguards Agreement, that Iran fulfil its legal obligations and take the specific actions called for by the Director General without delay. The Board would also call on Iran to implement without delay the Joint Statement between the IAEA and Iran of 4 March 2023, reverse its withdrawal of the designations of several experienced Agency inspectors and implement Modified Code 3.1, the application of which Iran has no right to unilaterally suspend in the first place.
3. Third, following years of Iran’s failure to co-operate to resolve these issues, this resolution also recognises that continued failure by Iran to resolve these issues may necessitate the production, by the Director General, of a comprehensive and updated assessment on the presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.

Chair,

We have been repeatedly clear that once Iran co-operates fully and the DG confirms that all questions have received technically credible answers, and that Iran fulfils its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement obligations, this Board will no longer need to consider this item. But this can only take place when Iran demonstrates full, unambiguous and sustained co-operation with the Agency. We believe the renewed call in this resolution is essential to support the Director General’s efforts. We sincerely hope that Iran recognises the seriousness of these issues and takes the opportunity to resolve them. As we have expressed before, reaching this outcome would be a significant success for Iran, for the IAEA, and for the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Chair,

We are fully aware of the current political context in Iran. However, it remains vital that Iran does not continue on the path of escalation while delaying urgently needed co-operation with the IAEA. This is why we see the need for the Board to act now – 18 months after the last resolution and 15 months after the last Joint Statement.

Chair,

Our delegations have engaged broadly with Board members to explain our thinking, to solicit their feedback, and to listen to their views on these matters. We thank the many states that contributed to this process for this resolution and request the resolution be derestricted and made public once it is adopted.

Thank you, Chair.