Iran, Russia demand watchdog ban attacks on nuclear sites

An international nuclear watchdog affiliated with the United Nations should prohibit attacks on nuclear sites, according to a draft resolution submitted on Monday by Iran, China, Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Belarus. The countries submitted their resolution to the annual conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA.

The document states that all countries have an inalienable right to peaceful nuclear development, and argues that attacks on such sites violate international law. The resolution also explicitly condemns the United States’ June strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The international community should act to stop the normalization of lawlessness, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.

What is the United States’ position? The U.S. Mission to the UN in Vienna works on nuclear nonproliferation. The office on Monday posted a clip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying a nuclear Iranian state governed by a radical Shia cleric was risky. He said such a state was an unacceptable risk not just for Israel but for the whole world.

Didn’t Iran previously stop cooperating with the IAEA? Iran suspended relations with the nuclear watchdog in July, after it released a report accusing Iran of breaking its nuclear safeguards agreement and enriching uranium in undeclared locations. But Iran last week signed an agreement allowing the IAEA to resume monitoring of its nuclear facilities.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Iran’s previous decision to stop cooperation with the IAEA.