Iran referred to UN Security Council for nuclear non-compliance

BREAKING: The IAEA refers Iran to the UN Security Council for nuclear non-compliance, the first such move in 20 years, in a resolution tabled by the US, UK, France and Germany, as Tehran blames US and Israeli strikes for disrupting inspections.

Iran just got referred to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme. That hasn't happened in twenty years.

The IAEA board passed the resolution in Vienna today, tabled by the US, UK, France and Germany. Twenty three countries backed it, eight abstained, and China, Russia and Niger voted no. The complaint is simple enough. Inspectors haven't set foot in Iran's nuclear sites since the strikes in June last year, and nobody outside Tehran knows where the enriched uranium is. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi now takes the file to New York.

Iran's response was furious. Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said the US and Israel bombed safeguarded facilities like Natanz, wrecked the inspection process, then used that wreckage as the pretext. And here's why new sanctions probably stall anyway, China and Russia hold vetoes in the council.

The number that matters is this. When the latest war began, US officials put Iran's stockpile at roughly 440 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium. That's a short sprint from weapons grade, and right now, nobody is watching it.

This is Liu Yang, reporting for HIT.