Russia warns against US push to pass anti-Iran IAEA res.
Russia says the US is trying to push an IAEA resolution that shifts blame onto Iran after attacks on its nuclear sites.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Mikhail Ulyanov says responsibility for attacks on Iran cannot be shifted to Tehran, as Washington seeks support for an anti-Iran IAEA resolution. Iran's mission says coercion will not help and argues cooperation with the watchdog must follow Iranian law.
Russia says the US is trying to make a UN nuclear meeting blame Iran for damage caused by attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites. Iran says that is like blaming the house after someone broke the windows, and it will not help talks.
Analysis
What Russia is warning about
Russia’s permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the United States is trying to gather support for an IAEA Board of Governors resolution that distorts the facts around Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. He said responsibility for aggression cannot be moved from the attacker to the victim, arguing that some states are trying to reverse that logic during the current Board session.
According to the article, Reuters reported that Washington is lobbying other countries to back a draft resolution against Iran. The draft would reportedly require Iran to tell the agency what happened to its nuclear sites after they were bombed by the United States and the Israeli regime, as well as to account for enriched uranium stored there.
Iran’s response
Iran’s mission in Vienna said the current problems in its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog are a direct result of repeated attacks and threats against safeguarded nuclear sites. It warned Board members not to let the IAEA become a tool for reducing accountability for those attacks.
The mission also said a coercive, confrontational approach does not lead to cooperation and weakens the chances for a diplomatic solution. It added that Tehran’s ties with the IAEA must remain within the framework of Iranian law.
The article says Iran’s parliament passed a law in June 2025 suspending cooperation with the IAEA after the first US-Israeli assault. Under that law, inspectors cannot enter unless the security of nuclear facilities and peaceful nuclear activity is guaranteed, with approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. It also notes that a later cooperation arrangement reached in September 2025 was terminated after another anti-Iran resolution in the Board of Governors.
Key points
- Russia says the US is lobbying for an IAEA resolution that misrepresents Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
- The reported draft would ask Iran to account for bombed nuclear sites and enriched uranium stored there.
- Mikhail Ulyanov said responsibility for aggression cannot be shifted from the perpetrator to the victim.
- Iran’s mission said its cooperation problems are a direct result of attacks and threats against safeguarded sites.
- The article says Iran’s parliament has already limited IAEA cooperation unless security guarantees are in place.
If the Board of Governors avoids a confrontational resolution, there may still be room for talks over Iran’s nuclear cooperation with the IAEA. The article also suggests that any future engagement could continue if security guarantees for Iranian nuclear sites are addressed within the legal framework Tehran cites.
If the US-backed draft passes, Iran may see the IAEA as part of the pressure campaign rather than a neutral watchdog. That could deepen the standoff, keep inspectors out under Iran’s law, and further narrow the prospects for a diplomatic solution.
