Iran withdraws draft resolution to ban attacks on nuclear facilities

Iran late Thursday withdrew a draft resolution at the U.N. nuclear watchdog that called to ban attacks against nuclear facilities after its war with Israel, citing reported U.S. pressure for the last-minute change.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that saw Israeli and U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran, together with Belarus, China, Nicaragua, Russia and Venezuela, submitted a draft resolution condemning the attacks at the annual general conference of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

But Iranian Ambassador Reza Najafi told the IAEA meeting that the draft resolution would not be put up for a vote.

"A large number of IAEA member states ... have stated in separate contacts with Iran and other sponsors of the resolution that they are under severe pressure and intimidation from the United States not to vote in favour of the resolution," he said.

The resolution "strongly condemns the deliberate and unlawful attacks carried out in June 2025" against Iran's nuclear facilities, saying they are "clear violations of international law."

The text said that nuclear facilities that are safeguarded by the IAEA "shall not be subject to any kind of attack or threat of attack."

Such attacks pose "serious risks to ... international peace and security... and undermine the overall credibility and integrity of the non-proliferation regime," it says.

Last week, Iran agreed on a new framework for working with the IAEA after it suspended cooperation following the Israeli and U.S. strikes.

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Friday on reimposing biting economic sanctions on Tehran over its contested nuclear program.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that he put forward a "fair and balanced" nuclear proposal to European powers to prevent the return of the U.N. sanctions.