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

On Wednesday evening, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution by a very large majority calling on the regime in Tehran to cooperate better with the Vienna-based UN-affiliated agency.

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

In return, Iran has further restricted the IAEA's monitoring of its uranium enrichment facilities.

In addition, it became known that more and more modern and powerful enrichment cascades are being used in bunkered facilities.

Stephen Lowenstein

Political correspondent based in Vienna.

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

This body represents the 175 member states of the IAEA.

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

Tehran is urged to cooperate with the agency "immediately."

Russia and China voted against the decision, while three other countries abstained.

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.

The United States and the three European states Germany, France and Great Britain (E3 group), which introduced the resolution, announced in a joint declaration 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 announces more uranium enrichment plants

According to the IAEA, Iran blocked two of the agency's surveillance cameras installed at uranium enrichment plants.

In any case, these cameras are of secondary importance for current surveillance because the IAEA does not have ongoing access to the data.

The regime in Tehran had previously blocked it.

But the data would at least be of importance for a later reconstruction, when the dispute with Iran should be over.

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 2015 nuclear agreement (known as the JCPOA), Iran committed itself to only using older, underperforming IR-1 centrifuges and not to carrying out any nuclear enrichment at the deep military bunkered facilities like Natanz.

However, 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" to Iran.

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.

However, given the position of Russia and China in the IAEA Council, a decision by the UN Security Council is currently unlikely.