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.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
RSS