Iran Retracts Anti-Assault Resolution Proposal: A Strategic Retreat or a Change of Heart?

In a surprising turn of events, Iran retracted a proposal it initially tabled along with China, Russia and several other nations, aimed at prohibiting assaults on nuclear facilities. This decision arrived just before a vote was to occur during a yearly gathering of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) members. According to Western officials, the United States has exerted significant efforts behind closed doors to discourage the resolution’s acceptance.

The U.S expressed concerns of a potential decrease in budget allocation to the International Atomic Energy Agency if the resolution was endorsed. This would occur in the scenario where the IAEA attempted to restrict Israel’s privileges within the organization. In a historic context, in 1981, following an Israeli bombing of an Iraqi nuclear reactor, Israel lost the IAEA’s technical assistance program support. This incident was severely criticized by the U.N. Security Council, the IAEA General Conference, and the IAEA Board of Governors.

The abrupt withdrawal of the resolution is noteworthy, considering the mounting pressure from U.S. allies to reinstate U.N. sanctions on Iran concerning its nuclear program. While delivering a speech at the IAEA’s General Conference, the Iranian Ambassador to the U.N., Reza Najafi, stated that“at the behest of several member states and with a view to promote a constructive and positive engagement, we have decided to postpone action on the draft till the next annual conference.

In recent developments, Iranian nuclear and military establishments became the target of Israeli airstrikes in June. Israel defended its move by citing concerns about Iran’s potential development of nuclear arsenal. Soon after, on June 22, the U.S. military launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

Despite such incidents, Iran continues to insist that its nuclear initiatives are intended only for peaceful purposes. In the resolution draft prepared by Iran, a paragraph categorically condemned the“deliberate and illegal attacks in June 2025 on nuclear sites and facilities of Iran.” It emphasized that such an act constituted a glaring violation of international law.

Furthermore, the draft had another crucial clause that urged every nation to refrain from launching or even threatening assaults on other countries’ peaceful nuclear facilities. Ambassador Najafi assured that Iran and other co-sponsors of the resolution – Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Belarus, and Zimbabwe – intended to maintain unity among member states rather than promoting division.

On such critical and sensitive matters, a unified and clear message from the general conference is paramount,” stated Najafi. He also remained hopeful of an appropriate response from the IAEA member states to these unlawful assaults towards nuclear sites.

However, the U.S. acting permanent representative at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna accused the proposed draft resolution of providing a distorted representation of the recent incidents and twisting international legal narratives. It was pointed out that the resolution selectively appropriated quotes from several IAEA and U.N. documents, misinterpreting them, and mislead with its conclusions.

The U.S. representative confidently declared that if the resolution had been put to vote, it would have encountered a staggering defeat. Clearing the U.S. stance on the issue, he stated the U.S. did not“make this move thoughtlessly.” The IAEA General Conference consists of high-level representatives of the nuclear watchdog’s 180 member states. They gather annually in Vienna to deliberate on international nuclear policy, approve budgets and contemplate on nuclear safety and security regulations.

Concurrently, reinstating sanctions on Iran due to alleged non-compliance with a 2015 agreement, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear weapons development, is being vigorously pursued by France, Germany and the United Kingdom. If the ‘snapback’, a term coined by diplomats for the swift reapplication of sanctions incorporated into the 2015 nuclear deal, gets through, it could be implemented in a month. This move has triggered a 30-day countdown for the recommencement of sanctions unless Iran and the West reach a new diplomatic agreement.

European countries have expressed willingness to extend the deadline provided Iran recommences direct dialogues with the U.S. about its nuclear program, provides UN nuclear inspectors with access to its nuclear sites, and provides clarification about the possession of more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium that the UN watchdog claims it has.

When interrogated about whether the snapback was a certainty on Israel’s Channel 12, French President Emmanuel Macron confidently responded: “Yes. Based on the latest information received from the Iranians, it appears to be the case.”