The UN atomic watchdog's 35-member board of governors voted 23-3 Wednesday to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years over its failure to cooperate regarding uranium traces at undeclared sites.

China, Russia and Niger opposed the resolution introduced by the U.S., Britain, France and Germany, while eight countries abstained and one didn't vote due to arrears.

The referral opens Iran to potential Security Council sanctions or asset freezes, though punitive actions remain unlikely given veto power held by allies Russia and China.

Western officials suspect the traces evidence a secret nuclear weapons program active until 2003, which Tehran denies, insisting its program is peaceful.

The resolution calls on Iran to remedy its non-compliance, which was officially declared in June 2025. Access to sites struck during the June 2025 U.S.-Israel conflict remains restricted.

Additionally, the IAEA reports Iran holds 440.9 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium-enough for up to 10 nuclear bombs if weaponized-though Director General Rafael Grossi emphasized this does not mean Iran possesses weapons.

Meanwhile, Iran’s First Vice President says the resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board is a double standard and that Tehran will continue to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

“The approval of the Board of Governors’ resolution against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, proposed by the atomic bomb possessors, the perpetrators of Hiroshima, and the violators of the JCPOA, is a symbol of today’s world’s double standards,” Mohammad Reza Aref said.

“Those who threaten our infrastructure and civilisation have no qualification to judge. The Iranian nation stands firm on its legal rights and the strategic path of peaceful nuclear energy.”

The resolution was drafted by the US, UK, Germany and France and calls for Iran to be reported to the UN Security Council for refusing access to inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog.