The IAEA's
35-member Board of Governors voted 23-3 with eight abstentions to refer Iran to
the UN Security Council, backed by the US, Britain, France, and Germany, while
Russia, China, and Niger opposed.
The decision stems from Iran's stalled cooperation, with inspectors denied access to nuclear sites since US and Israeli strikes last year damaged them.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi flagged the loss of oversight on uranium stocks as a major concern; Iran calls its program peaceful and decries the move as politicized, but Western diplomats aim to pressure for full verification.