Iranian Parliament Convenes To Respond To IAEA Move
6 February 2006 -- Iranian lawmakers are meeting today in an emergency closed-door session following the UN nuclear watchdog's decision to report Iran to the United Nations Security Council over its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) governing board agreed to report Iran to the Security Council for failing to adequately address concerns that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons.
In response, Tehran announced it will end voluntary cooperation with nuclear inspectors and push ahead with uranium enrichment.
Oil prices rose sharply today on the news. Light crude rose in Asian trading by nearly $1, to $66.34 a barrel.
Iran still says it is willing to discuss a proposal by Moscow to shift large-scale enrichment operations to Russian territory, and Russian officials have confirmed that they expect bilateral meetings on the issue.
(dpa)
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On 4 February, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency approved in a 27-3 vote a resolution to report the matter of Iran's nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council. The key section of the resolution is Section 1, which states that the Board of Governors:
Underlines that outstanding questions can best be resolved and confidence built in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's program by Iran responding positively to the calls for confidence-building measures which the Board has made on Iran, and in this context deems it necessary for Iran to:
- reestablish full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and processing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the Agency;
- reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water;
- ratify promptly and implement in full Additional Protocol;
- pending ratification, continue to act in accordance with the provisions of the Additional Protocol with Iran signed on 18 December 2003;
- implement the transparency measures, as requested by the Director General, which extend beyond the former requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request in support of its ongoing investigations.
COMPLETE TEXT: To read the final resolution, with late-hour changes highlighted, click here.
THE COMPLETE PICTURE: RFE/RL's complete coverage of controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program.
An annotated timeline of Iran's nuclear program.