The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors has voted to formally censure Iran over a series of breaches related to inspections, most notably that unexplained traces of unenriched uranium have been found in at least two undeclared sites over a period of years.
The 35-nation passed the resolution with a 30 to 2 vote on Wednesday (with a few abstentions). Notably Russia and China opposed the measure, which said the following according to Reuters:
The text says the board "expresses profound concern" the traces remain unexplained due to insufficient cooperation by Iran and calls on Iran to engage with the watchdog "without delay".
It comes after Iran last month turned over paper work which Tehran says adequately explains the breaches, but the IAEA has said it remains unsatisfied by this.
However, the agency has said Iran's actions are fueling "distrust" and that it sees no proper civilian nuclear power application at this point:
They said Iran’s possession of 60 percent enriched uranium, in addition to deploying 2,000 advanced centrifuges and expanded research and development, is cause for great concern and is "fueling distrust as to Iran’s intentions".
The Islamic Republic appears to have responded to the censure by further drastically reducing its cooperation. First, just ahead of the vote Al Jazeera reported, "The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced on Wednesday that it has turned off the Online Enrichment Monitor (OLEM) and flowmeter system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at an unidentified nuclear site."
And following the formal...