IAEA warns Iran to cooperate as West seeks UN Security Council referral

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on Iran to fully cooperate with ongoing inspections, warning that continued non‑compliance could jeopardize the credibility of the nuclear safeguards regime. In a statement released on Monday, the agency’s chief highlighted gaps in Tehran’s reporting on nuclear material and urged the country to grant unfettered access to sites and documentation, citing the need to verify that its nuclear activities remain exclusively peaceful.

At the same time, senior officials from the United States, United Kingdom and France have intensified diplomatic pressure on Tehran, advocating for the referral of Iran’s nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council. The push follows a series of IAEA reports indicating unresolved concerns about uranium enrichment levels and possible undisclosed facilities. Western powers argue that a Security Council referral would enable the imposition of binding resolutions and sanctions, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program complies with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and any external scrutiny is politically motivated. The IAEA’s appeal and the Western initiative underscore growing international tension over Iran’s nuclear trajectory and set the stage for further multilateral deliberations.