IAEA board censures Iran for failing to cooperate with nuclear watchdog

VIENNA, Austria — The UN nuclear watchdog’s board condemns Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months.

The International Atomic Energy Agency also calls on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.

Nineteen members of the IAEA board vote for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso oppose it, 12 abstain and one does not vote, according to diplomats who speak on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.

The resolution was put forward by France, Germany, and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Trump’s first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran when the US president pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and imposed even harsher sanctions that have since hobbled Iran’s economy further.

The resolution comes on the heels of a confidential report earlier this week in which the IAEA said Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.