Iran warns of response to IAEA move

Iran said it would respond if the U.N. nuclear watchdog adopts a resolution against it, as the United States, Britain, France and Germany push to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years. The move would follow earlier criticism of Iran’s nuclear cooperation and comes amid a deepening standoff over inspections and access to damaged facilities.

Tehran rejected calls to fully comply with IAEA safeguards, saying the demands are meaningless under what it called hazardous conditions. Iran’s mission in Vienna said the agency had already suspended inspections and withdrawn staff for safety reasons after attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, and accused the watchdog of politicized reporting. It urged the IAEA to press the United States and Israel to stop threatening Iranian facilities before demanding further access.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the agency’s work would continue regardless of any resolution and stressed that engagement with inspectors remains the quickest path to a better outcome. He said access to key facilities would have positive consequences for Iran, while declining to judge whether a new resolution would help or hurt the process.

The confrontation is unfolding after months of military escalation and failed diplomacy. Iran says its nuclear sites were struck in the war, leaving inspectors unable to verify the condition of enriched uranium stocks or inspect bombed facilities. Tehran has refused immediate access until a final agreement is reached and sanctions are lifted, while Western powers continue to press for stronger oversight. Meanwhile, Iran said it will announce a new restricted zone in the Persian Gulf and publish a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz after weekend attacks on shipping pushed oil prices higher.