Iran plans to immediately carry out its threat to cut off cooperation with the world's atomic energy watchdog, an Iranian official said yesterday in the wake of a majority vote reporting the Islamic state to the UN Security Council.
"The Iranian government must now bring into force our law to suspend voluntary cooperation," Javad Vaidi, the deputy head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in Vienna minutes after the result was announced.
"Until now we have only been researching uranium enrichment; now we have to start full-scale production," he continued.
The 35-member board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) produced a clear majority in the vote, with 27 for, five abstentions and only three votes against.
"The IAEA board has just agreed to send a further strong message to Iran," said Peter Jenkins, Britain's ambassador to the IAEA. "Board members cannot understand why Iran is so determined to press on with its enrichment program."
"They have called for an immediate re-suspension of all enrichment activities and further confidence-building measures," he said.
Jenkins confirmed the council would do nothing until the IAEA's next board meeting on March 6.
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei plans to send a new report to the council, plus a report that last September found Iran in violation of the agency's safeguards.
ElBaradei earlier called this grace period, insisted upon by Russia, a "window of opportunity" for Iran to regain international trust, and Jenkins reiterated this message after the vote.
The ambassador added, however, that Iran's threats seemed to suggest "it does not intend to heed the board's calls."
Iran broke the IAEA seals on equipment for enriching uranium, which can be used in nuclear weapons, in early January, but said that it was only for research and development purposes.
The nation repeatedly said in the run-up to the vote it would end all voluntary cooperation with the IAEA, including snap inspections under the additional protocol to the Non Proliferation Treaty. Iran ratified the treaty in 1970, but not the protocol.
There was one chink of light, however, as Vaidi left the door open for continuing discussions with Russia, which has close business links with Iran, over the possibility of providing enriched uranium for the Islamic state.
Vaidi dismissed the IAEA vote as unrepresentative and prompted by the concerns of a few countries.
"This resolution is politically motivated," he said. "The lack of consensus clearly indicates that it isn't an international concern."
The US has long been calling for Iran to be referred, and their calls increased since ElBaradei's report last September.
The resolution accuses Iran of failing to cooperate fully with the IAEA, of concealing its nuclear program and of possessing a document related to the construction of nuclear-weapon components.
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS