The resolution states that “the history of concealment of Iran’s nuclear activities” has resulted in an “absence of confidence that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.” It declares for the first time that Tehran is in “non-compliance” with provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty that require it to report its nuclear activities.

Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear energy date back to the 1950s, when the country was ruled by the U.S.-backed shah. Washington supported Iran’s nuclear program at that time.

A brutal dictator, the shah was overthrown in 1979 by a popular revolution that deprived Washington of one of its firmest allies in the Mideast and Central Asia. The new Iranian government proceeded to resume nuclear development. When the program came to light, Washington accused Tehran of developing nuclear power in order to build weapons. The Iranian government has insisted all along that its program is for purposes of economic development only.

The vote at the September 24 board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was divided. Of the 35 members, 22 voted in favor of the anti-Iran resolution and 12 abstained—including the governments of Russia, China, Pakistan, South Africa, and Brazil. The representative of Venezuela was the only one to vote no on the U.S.-orchestrated measure.

Washington did not win support for inserting language into the resolution to call for immediately placing Iran’s nuclear program before the UN Security Council for sanctions. Although referral is normal when a government is found in “non-compliance,” the IAEA resolution did not set a date for filing a report with the Security Council.

According to the New York Times, to avoid referral to the Security Council, “Iran is being told to suspend all uranium enrichment activities including uranium conversion, to give up construction of a heavy-water nuclear reactor and to give agency experts access to certain research-and-development locations and documentation.” The resolution also demands that Iran immediately agree to “more-intrusive nuclear inspections by the IAEA,” the Times said.

In a statement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the IAEA resolution was “illegal and unacceptable.”

On September 17, a week before the IAEA board decision, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke before the UN General Assembly in New York, defending Iran’s “right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy.” He charged the U.S. government with dividing the world into “light and dark countries” and seeking to impose “nuclear apartheid.”

Tehran has actively campaigned among semicolonial governments to win support for its right to nuclear energy. Reuters news agency reported that 12 of 14 IAEA board members from the Non-Aligned Movement met prior to the board meeting to try to “forge a common position” in favor of resolving the Iran issue within the IAEA.

In the end, however, the governments of semicolonial nations divided over the resolution, with those in Peru, Singapore, Ghana, India, and Ecuador voting to support it. The Indian government’s vote was a particular blow to Iran. New Delhi has signed a 30-year, $50 billion agreement with Tehran to buy 7.5 million tons of natural gas annually from Iran. In the week leading up to the IAEA meeting, statements by Indian officials had opposed finding Iran in non-compliance. New Delhi voted for the IAEA resolution “after intense U.S. lobbying,” said the Washington Post. U.S. government pressure also convinced Moscow and Beijing to abstain rather than vote no. Both states are major trading partners with Iran. In 2003, Iran supplied about 14 percent of China’s oil imports. Moscow is deeply involved in the building of a $1 billion nuclear reactor in Iran.  
 
 
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