EU Statement at the IAEA Board of Governors on NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran, 19 November 2025

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, and Ukraine.

The European Union thanks the Director General for his reports and DDG Aparo for the technical briefing. We commend the DG and the Secretariat for their professional, independent and impartial work.  

The EU remains strongly committed to peace, security and stability in the Middle East. We have always been clear that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon and that it must comply with its legally binding obligations under the NPT. We are concerned over the potential implications of attacks against nuclear facilities. The only durable solution to the Iran nuclear issue is one reached through diplomacy and dialogue, which the EU has always strived for, including through the JCPOA.

After the completion of the snapback process as provided for in UNSC Resolution 2231, six UNSC resolutions have been reinstated. These resolutions create obligations for all UN Member States and require Iran to suspend its activities related to uranium enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water. However, the snap-back of sanctions and nuclear restrictions is not the end of diplomacy with Iran on the nuclear issue, which remains a key challenge to regional and international security. The European Union, including through the efforts of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to bring about a lasting negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

However, despite all diplomatic efforts, Iran’s continuously escalating nuclear trajectory over the last six years has increased the urgent and profound risk of a nuclear proliferation crisis in the region. As of 13 June 2025, Iran’s overall enriched uranium stockpile exceeded the JCPoA limit by nearly 50 times, and Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% had further increased to more than 440 kg. Iran is the only NPT non-nuclear-weapon State to have produced such a quantity of highly enriched uranium (HEU), for which there is no credible civilian justification. Moreover, the Agency has been unable to verify this material for five months. As stressed in the DG’s report, this is a matter of compliance with the NPT Safeguards Agreement. Iran must urgently address this to allay concerns regarding the possible diversion of declared nuclear material from peaceful use.

Chair,

The EU is gravely concerned by Iran’s serious curtailing of its cooperation with the IAEA.  The Director General has reported that the IAEA has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the previously declared inventories of nuclear material in Iran, including low and highly enriched uranium. Iran’s implementation of its Safeguards Agreement cannot be suspended under any circumstances. We note that Iran has begun to facilitate Agency access to unaffected facilities. However, it is critical and urgent that Iran provides the IAEA with updated verifiable declarations about the quantity and whereabouts of nuclear material and related activities and allows inspections to resume in all its nuclear facilitiesas required by its NPT Safeguards Agreement. 

We further call upon Iran to fully implement the legally binding modified Code 3.1 and to return to the provisional implementation of the Additional Protocol and to ratify it, and to take urgent steps to remedy its non-compliance as called for in the Board’s resolution in June. This is indispensable to address in a credible and transparent manner our serious doubts about the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.  

In line with the above, we endorse the draft resolution tabled by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America for this Board, and call on all Board Members to support it. 

The EU reiterates its full support to the IAEA and the Director General in their critical work to uphold the implementation of safeguards, nuclear safety and security and to pursue clarity on Iran’s nuclear programme. We urge Iran to facilitate the full and effective implementation of safeguards activities in Iran and to engage with the Agency in addressing the unresolved safeguards issues in accordance with its NPT Safeguards Agreement.

We look forward to continued regular reporting from the Director General and call on Iran to immediately enable the full resumption of the Agency’s in-field verification activities. With this, the EU takes note of the report under this agenda item and requests that it be made public.