Iran warns of complicated path with IAEA censure resolution on agenda

Iran’s foreign minister has been reaching out to his counterparts and the head of the UN nuclear watchdog ahead of the agency's Board of Governors' expected passage of a censure resolution against Tehran.

In a phone call with South African counterpart Ronald Lamola on Wednesday, Abbas Araghchi warned that the resolution proposed by three European powers at the IAEA’s Board of Governors meeting would further complicate the situation.

The censure resolution against Iran was officially added to the Board's agenda on Tuesday night. France, Britain, Germany, and the United States are set to present the resolution during Wednesday’s meeting.

Araghchi also reiterated the sentiment in a phone call with the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, saying that “if the other parties disregard Iran's goodwill and cooperative approach and pursue unconstructive actions by issuing a resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, Iran will respond in an appropriate and proportional manner."

In another phone call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot Tuesday night, he also said that if Iran's seek confrontation during the BoG meeting, the Islamic Republic will respond appropriately.

“This measure by the three European countries is in blatant contravention of the positive atmosphere created in the interaction between Iran and the Agency,” the Iranian foreign minister told his French counterpart. “It will only make matters more complicated.”

The planned censure is likely going through despite Tehran offering to cap its highly enriched uranium stock.

Previous voting patterns suggest that proposals backed by the key Western countries easily pass. A successful resolution could be a catalyst for France, Britain and Germany to trigger a so-called "snapback mechanism" to restore UN sanctions imposed on Iran before a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal.

The United States remains tightly coordinated with its European partners in advance of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting and strongly supports efforts to hold Iran accountable, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told Iran International, urging Tehran to cooperate with the IAEA.