The United Nations nuclear watchdog passed a resolution of censure against Iran on Wednesday, widening the diplomatic rift over the Islamic Republic’s controversial nuclear program.
European diplomats proposed the measure after inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran failed to help them resolve an investigation into uranium particles, believed to be decades old and detected at undeclared locations.
Twenty predominantly Western countries voted in favor of the censure. According to diplomats at the meeting, China and Russia opposed the motion, while the rest of the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors abstained. The three-page censure, drawn up by France, Germany and Britain, said it was “essential and urgent” that Iran cooperate on the unexplained nuclear fuel issue.
