Iran has vowed to take strong action against Western nations pushing a resolution at a quarterly meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog that would find the Islamic republic in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for the first time in 20 years.
In a June 6 post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi slammed Britain, France, and Germany -- collectively known as the E3 -- for "falsely accusing Iran" of violating its obligations and claimed the move was "designed to produce a crisis."
"Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights. Blame lies solely and fully with irresponsible actors who stop at nothing to gain relevance," Araqchi warned.
A draft resolution prepared by the E3 and backed by the United States was shared on June 5 with the 35 members of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors, which will hold its quarterly meeting on June 9-13.
Araqchi pointed to a similar episode in 2005 when Iran resumed uranium conversion activities after suspending them during earlier negotiations with the E3.
In response, the European trio pushed for Iran to be declared in noncompliance and referred to the UN Security Council. Iran retaliated by ending voluntary transparency measures and significantly expanding its uranium enrichment program -- a turning point Araqchi described as "in many ways the true birth of uranium enrichment in Iran."
In its latest quarterly report, the IAEA said Iran has sharply increased its production of highly enriched uranium, stockpiling 408.6 kilograms enriched to 60 percent -- up from just under 275 kilograms in February.
The agency also criticized Iran for poor cooperation, particularly its failure to explain nuclear traces detected at undeclared sites.
While 60 percent enrichment is below the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material, it far exceeds the 3.67 percent limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump exited in 2018 during his first term in office. Trump returned to the presidency in January.
The Trump administration has held five rounds of talks with Iran since April to reach a new agreement on Tehran's nuclear program. But this week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected a US proposal after Trump stated that Iran would not be allowed to continue enriching uranium under any future deal.
Axios says the White House's "interpretation" of Trump's two-month deadline for a deal is that it expires next week. Israel, which has long been planning to strike Iranian nuclear sites, is said to have assured Washington it will not launch a military strike on Iran unless diplomatic negotiations fail and it receives explicit clearance from Trump.
