By Francois Murphy and John Irish

VIENNA/PARIS, Sept 4 (Reuters) – The United States, alongside key European allies including Britain, France, and Germany, is advocating for the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board to adopt a resolution next week that would refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in two decades, according to diplomatic sources speaking on Friday.

If approved, the resolution would build upon a measure passed on June 12 of the previous year, which found Iran in violation of its non-proliferation obligations due to insufficient cooperation with an ongoing investigation into uranium particles detected at undeclared locations.

The situation escalated significantly the following day when Israel launched airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, an action soon joined by the United States, resulting in significant damage or destruction of several uranium enrichment sites.

Since the attacks, Iran has barred International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from re-entering the targeted sites or verifying remaining inventories of enriched uranium—some of which had been processed to nearly 60% purity, just short of weapons-grade levels.

This proposed resolution by the IAEA’s 35-member board would also mark the conclusion of a prolonged standoff regarding agency access to these sites. Over the past year, the board has passed two separate resolutions requiring Iran to disclose its enriched uranium reserves and permit comprehensive verification by IAEA inspectors.

According to diplomats, formal submission of the draft resolution has not yet occurred, and negotiations continue regarding its precise wording. Typically, such drafts are submitted early in the week preceding a board session.

As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran maintains the legal right to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful applications, including uranium enrichment. Tehran continues to insist that its program is exclusively intended for civilian energy generation and medical research, denying any intent to develop nuclear weapons.

Nevertheless, Iran remains unique among NPT members in conducting uranium enrichment up to 60% purity without pursuing nuclear armament. This activity has raised concerns within the IAEA, with officials expressing particular alarm over the estimated quantity of highly enriched uranium believed to have survived recent military actions—approximately 200 kilograms reportedly stored in underground facilities at Isfahan and Natanz.

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