UN nuclear agency's board condemns Iran again for failing to cooperate

International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that it has failed to declare as nuclear sites

The UN nuclear watchdog's board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five months.

The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.

Nineteen members of the IAEA broad voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.

The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Trump's first term in office was marked by a particularly tense period with Iran, when the US president pursued a policy of maximum pressure against Tehran. In 2018,  Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, and imposed even harsher sanctions that have since hobbled Iran's economy further.

The resolution comes on the heels of a confidential report earlier this week in which the IAEA said Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear programme and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.