Iran condemns IAEA resolution, vows countermeasures

TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Thursday vowed to take countermeasures after the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors passed a resolution formally declaring Tehran non-compliant with its non-proliferation obligations for the first time since 2005.

In response, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) issued directives to launch a new uranium enrichment center in a safe zone and replace the first-generation gas centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in the central province of Qom with modern sixth-generation ones.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry and the AEOI issued a joint statement, stating that Iran had no other alternative but to respond to the "political" resolution, and other countermeasures were also being planned and would be announced later.

The statement described the resolution proposed by the United States and the three European countries of France, Britain and Germany as "lacking technical and legal bases and abusing the board as a tool to achieve their political objectives."

Also on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejected the claims made in the IAEA resolution as "completely baseless and fabricated," and upheld Iran's rights to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Tehran has not indicated how the adoption of the resolution will impact the sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States scheduled for June 15 in Oman.

Earlier Thursday, the 35-member IAEA board voted 19-3 with 11 abstentions to adopt the resolution.

The resolution will prepare the ground to trigger the snapback mechanism, a clause in a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that would allow the other parties to reimpose all international sanctions if Iran fails to comply with the agreement.

The resolution was passed following a recent report by the IAEA that claimed Iran had failed to provide credible explanations for the uranium traces found at three undeclared locations, accused the country of providing "less than satisfactory" cooperation, and expressed concern over its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. Ever since the report's release, Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the claims. ■