UN atomic watchdog reports Iran to UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years

The board of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, accusing the country of failing to cooperate with an investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran. 

The resolution to report Iran received support from 23 of the 35 members on the IAEA's board of governors, the Associated Press reported. 

China, Russia and Niger voted against it, while eight other countries abstained in the closed-door vote. One country didn't vote as it was in arrears, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany put forward the resolution. The diplomatic measure has been under consideration since June 2025, when the IAEA officially found Iran wasn't complying with its nonproliferation obligations due to the lack of cooperation from Tehran. 

Officials in the West suspect that the uranium traces inspectors detected at the undeclared sites could provide further evidence Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2023.