As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meets this week in Vienna, FDD Action’s Nick Stewart lays out how the United States can rally our allies to increase international pressure on Iran and hold the regime accountable. Stewart is Senior Director of Government Relations at FDD Action. From 2018-2020 he served as Chief of Staff of the Iran Action Group at the U.S. Department of State.
The Biden administration’s failure to hold Iran accountable at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was glaring. It achieved little while Tehran advanced its nuclear program unchecked. This week, as the IAEA Board of Governors convenes in Vienna, the United States has an opportunity to change course.
The Trump administration should rally our allies and press forward with a firm resolution that confronts Iran with a clear choice: comply fully with the agency’s inspections and safeguards or face the return of all suspended UN sanctions.
Today, Iran’s nuclear program is closer to weaponization than ever before. The latest IAEA reports confirm Tehran has increased its stockpile of 60 percent highly enriched uranium by half since November. This supply now stands at 275 kilograms, enough for almost seven nuclear weapons. If Iran’s full stockpile was enriched to 90 percent purity, or weapons grade, it could yield at least 17 bombs.
Tehran is also obstructing IAEA inspectors, stonewalling inquiries into its past nuclear weapons work, and secretly constructing new facilities in violation of its safeguards obligations. The evidence is clear: Iran is moving closer to nuclear breakout capability.
After four years of unenforced deadlines and empty threats, Iran may assume the West lacks the resolve to act. But the Trump administration has an opportunity to demonstrate that the era of indecision is over.
Washington must push for a strong resolution from the board that sets a clear deadline for Iran’s compliance and includes the threat of a UN Security Council referral, with the possibility of re-imposing suspended sanctions, if Tehran’s defiance persists. A single Security Council member can snap sanctions on Iran back into place, so neither Russia nor China can block the move.
Working with European allies, the Trump administration should demand that Iran address all outstanding concerns and come into full compliance with IAEA safeguards and other commitments by June, when the next quarterly Board of Governors meeting is set to convene. A firm deadline will test Iran’s intentions.
The board’s resolution must make explicit that failure to meet this deadline will trigger a UN Security Council referral, paving the way for renewed sanctions and deeper diplomatic isolation. We are well past the point where harshly worded statements can deter Iran’s nuclear provocations. Consistent with maximum pressure, concrete consequences are necessary.
Additionally, the United States should ensure the release of a strong, comprehensive report on Iran’s defiance ahead of the June meeting. The IAEA is preparing such a document based on a previous resolution. Washington must engage to ensure it is robust, fact-based, and underscores the severity of Iran’s repeated and ongoing violations. This report will be a critical tool in building international consensus and reinforcing the necessity of increased pressure on Tehran.
Iran’s playbook at the IAEA has always relied on brinkmanship. Whenever the board appears ready to hold Tehran accountable, the regime uses nuclear escalation to provoke a crisis and extract concessions. This time will likely be no different. Tehran may respond to pressure with further nuclear advances or even threaten withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as it has done many times before.
But Washington cannot let these extortionate tactics dictate its policy. A firm IAEA resolution is needed now to shift the dynamic and put Iran on the defensive. The regime must finally decide between compliance with its international obligations or deeper international isolation.
If Iran signals a willingness to negotiate a permanent and verifiable end to its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program, then Washington can talk. If Tehran defies the IAEA board, the groundwork will be laid for decisive action at the UN Security Council, including the snapback of all previously lifted sanctions.
The Biden administration’s paralysis at the IAEA allowed Iran to dangerously expand its nuclear program. The Trump administration can correct this failure by pushing for a binding resolution that sets firm deadlines and includes real consequences.
A tougher approach on Iran at the IAEA will strengthen America’s negotiating position and is a necessary element of President Donald Trump’s renewed maximum pressure campaign. Joe Biden tried to get a nuclear deal by offering Iran new concessions. But strength and leverage are the way to get a tough opponent to make a deal that’s good for America.
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