The United States, Britain, France and Germany have prepared a draft resolution that could be presented to the Board of Governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The proposal seeks to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its alleged failure to meet its nuclear nonproliferation commitments, according to diplomats.
As a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran is legally required to report all nuclear materials and activities and permit inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to confirm that nuclear material is not being diverted for military purposes.
The latest diplomatic effort has been under discussion since June 2025, when the IAEA Board of Governors formally determined that Iran was failing to meet its nonproliferation obligations. It was the first such finding in two decades and came just one day before the United States and Israel carried out attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Sending the issue to the U.N. Security Council would move the matter to a body with the authority to impose additional legally binding actions, potentially including sanctions and asset freezes.
However, major punitive action by the Security Council appears unlikely because Russia and China, both of which maintain close ties with Iran, have veto powers on the council.
The draft, reviewed by The Associated Press and previously reported by Reuters, asks IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to forward the resolution, along with earlier adopted resolutions, to IAEA member states as well as the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly in accordance with the IAEA's governing statute.
The proposal also emphasizes support for a diplomatic settlement of disputes surrounding Iran's nuclear program and its impact on regional peace and security. It calls for an agreement capable of addressing international concerns over Iran's nuclear activities and urges all sides to participate constructively in diplomatic efforts.
Diplomats said negotiations over the draft are continuing and that it has not yet been officially submitted to the IAEA Board. As a result, its wording could still be modified as member states propose changes.
If formally introduced, the resolution is expected to be considered during next week's meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna.
A senior Western diplomat said the decision to refer Iran to the Security Council had previously been delayed in an effort to give diplomacy one final opportunity. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive issue, said the IAEA Board now believes it must act because Iran has not only failed to cooperate but has also stopped communicating with the agency.
Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors to visit nuclear facilities damaged during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025, despite its legal obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to cooperate with the agency.
The IAEA has also been unable to determine what happened to Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to levels approaching weapons-grade since the June attacks. The agency's efforts have been further complicated by more than six months of fighting that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, including strikes carried out by both sides this week.
In a confidential report issued Tuesday and reviewed by the AP, the IAEA warned that Iran's continued refusal to provide access to nuclear facilities or allow verification of its nuclear materials represents a serious "proliferation risk" that requires urgent attention.
The agency estimates that Iran possesses 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to as much as 60% purity. Enrichment to approximately 90% is generally considered weapons-grade, making the remaining technical step relatively small.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in an interview with the AP last year that this quantity could theoretically provide enough material for Iran to produce up to 10 nuclear weapons if it chose to turn its nuclear program toward military purposes. He stressed, however, that this does not mean Iran currently possesses nuclear weapons.
The IAEA's latest confidential report also said there has been no meaningful progress in its investigation into traces of uranium found by inspectors at several sites in Iran that had not been declared to the agency.
Western governments believe those findings could offer additional indications that Iran operated a covert nuclear weapons program until 2003.
Iran, however, continues to reject those allegations and maintains that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and that its nuclear activities are solely for peaceful purposes.