The symbolic escalation has been initiated by the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved a resolution reporting Iran to the United Nations Security Council for breaching its non-proliferation obligations.

Wednesday’s move is the first time in 20 years that the board, made up of 35 member countries, has passed such a resolution.

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The move marks an escalation in the ongoing diplomatic standoff between Iran and Western nations. At least 23 countries voted in favour of the resolution, but Russia, China and Niger opposed it.

However, it is unlikely the UN Security Council will take any action, as Iran’s allies Russia and China are veto-holding members.

The United States and European allies, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, had lobbied the UN nuclear watchdog’s board members in recent days to pass the resolution.

The text noted “with grave concern… Iran’s continued non-compliance with its obligations” and “reiterates its call upon Iran to urgently remedy its non-compliance”.

In a statement on Wednesday, the European Union accused Iran of suspending its cooperation with the IAEA and refusing to allow the agency to inspect its nuclear facilities.

“It is critical and urgent that Iran provides the IAEA with updated verifiable declarations about the quantity and whereabouts of nuclear material and related activities and allows inspections to resume in all its nuclear facilities,” the bloc said.

Iran’s mission to the UN denounced the resolution. “The current situation is created solely because of the criminal acts of aggression by the U.S. and Israeli regime. The delusional objective of the U.S. to force the great Iranian nation into ‘surrender’ and to plunder its oil will never happen,” the mission said in a post on X.

Earlier on Monday, Iran warned that it would retaliate if the resolution passed.

IAEA seeks ‘urgent’ verification access

Iran, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is forbidden from producing nuclear weapons and has repeatedly said it is not manufacturing them.

The IAEA suspects, however, that Iran has about 400kg (881lbs) of highly enriched uranium, with which 10 nuclear weapons could potentially be manufactured if enriched further.

Since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in June last year, IAEA staff have not been allowed to continue inspecting Iran’s three nuclear facilities, which were reportedly badly damaged or destroyed in the strikes.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told his agency’s board on Monday that the issue needed to be “urgently” addressed.

“The agency’s lack of information about these facilities and associated nuclear material and our inability to conduct verification activities at these facilities is a matter of serious proliferation concern,” he said.