The dispute over Iran's nuclear program has escalated further.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Thursday that Iran's latest moves could spell a "fatal setback" to efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran had begun dismantling surveillance cameras from the Vienna-based UN-affiliated agency in its nuclear facilities.

The regime in Tehran wanted this to be understood as a reaction to a "hasty" and "unbalanced" Iran-critical resolution passed by the IAEA Board of Governors on Wednesday evening.

In addition, it became known that Iran is using more and more modern and powerful enrichment cascades in bunkered facilities.

Stephen Lowenstein

Political correspondent based in Vienna.

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The resolution calls on Iran “immediately” to cooperate better.

Specifically, Iran should fulfill its contractual obligations to credibly answer questions from the IAEA about unresolved nuclear activities in the past.

The text expresses "deep concern" that nuclear traces remained unexplained at three locations undeclared by Iran.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had previously written in a report to the Board of Governors that Iran had given "technically not credible" explanations for the traces in question and had only partially answered questions.

“Broad majority” behind General Director Grossi

The resolution was approved by 30 of the 35 members of the Board of Governors.

This body represents the 175 member states of the IAEA.

Only Russia and China voted against the decision.

Three other states (Pakistan, Libya, Indonesia) abstained.

According to Western diplomats, this was a "broad majority on the board, which strengthens the general director's back".

The resolution presented by the United States and the "E3" (Germany, France, Great Britain) was also voted on by countries that had mostly abstained in similar cases in the past.

In a joint statement, the initiators promised that the issue would be settled for them if Iran fulfilled its contractual obligations.

"If Iran does that and the Director-General can report that the outstanding safeguards issues are no longer outstanding, we would see no reason for further consideration in the Council and for further action on these issues."

Iran, in turn, removed 27 IAEA surveillance cameras at several nuclear facilities on Thursday.

Grossi said around 40 cameras remained operational.

Nevertheless, the dismantling is “a serious challenge for our work”.

It means "less certainty, more doubt, less transparency." If monitoring continuity were interrupted for more than four weeks, it would be a "fatal setback" to efforts to revive the 2015 Nuclear Accord (JCPOA).

"Very close" to enough material for atomic bomb

Immediately before the meeting of the Board of Governors, IAEA boss Grossi sent the committee another report on Iran.

It states that Iran has started to install state-of-the-art IR-6 centrifuges at the largest enrichment facility in Natanz.

The Iranian nuclear authority has also announced the installation of further cascades of these devices.

The installation of such enrichment plants is in principle compliant with the rules of the IAEA if it is declared.

However, in the JCPOA, Iran committed itself to using only older, underperforming IR-1 centrifuges and not to carrying out any nuclear enrichment in the deep military bunkers like Natanz.

Iran no longer adheres to this agreement, which provides for strict limitation and monitoring of the nuclear program, after the United States had previously withdrawn from it and reintroduced sanctions.

Iran has now pushed uranium enrichment far beyond the limits of the JCPOA and, according to Grossi, is "very close" to having enough material for a nuclear bomb.

Diplomatic efforts to restore the JCPOA through negotiations in Vienna have been on hold for months.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett welcomed the Board of Governors' resolution.

"This is an important decision that reveals the true colors of Iran," he said in a statement.

That is a "clear warning signal".

Unlike on other occasions, however, Bennett did not threaten military strikes, but saw the need for a UN Security Council referral if Iran continued its activities.