TEHRAN - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors passed a resolution against Iran on Thursday, a move that drew strong opposition from Iran’s envoy to the IAEA who described it as unconstructive and politically motivated.

The resolution criticized Iran for what it claimed Tehran’s lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear body.

The resolution was drafted and submitted to the IAEA board by the U.S. and its three European allies – Britain, France and Germany.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the approval of this nonconsensual resolution presented by three European countries and the United States in today’s meeting of the Board of Governors as a political, unconstructive and incorrect action and considers it unacceptable and rejected,” Ambassador Mohsen Naziri-Asl said.

Iran’s ambassador to the Vienna-based IAEA said the architects of resolution have invested on the riots in Iran to increase political pressure on Tehran.

It is the second time that the European trio (E3) and the U.S. submit resolution against Iran at the 35-member board within six months.

The resolution was adopted with 26 votes in favor, five abstentions and two countries absent. China and Russia again voted against the resolution.

Naziri-Asl warned that the measure “is intended to justify more unilateral sanctions against the Iranian nation."

The resolution was adopted as the E3 and the U.S. are seeking to revitalize the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA, that had been ditched by Donald Trump in May 2018.

“The political goals of the writers of the anti-Iran resolution will not be realized, but its approval can affect the process of Iran’s constructive cooperation and interaction with the IAEA,” Nazir-Asl said.

In the course of discussing the issue “the supporters of the draft resolution presented fake information and baseless claims to justify their unconstructive approach to the Board of Governors and tried to turn the meeting into a tool to pursue their short-sighted political goals while going beyond the framework of the Agency’s duties and powers,” Naziri-Asl explained.

The U.S. and E3 have “spared no effort in the past weeks to call into question Iran’s continuous interaction with the IAEA and to cast doubt on the prospect of reaching an agreement regarding the lifting of the oppressive sanctions against our country and the revival of the JCPOA,” he added.

“We strongly believe that this resolution will not have any results for its founders, especially in terms of restoring their tarnished image as the main violators of the JCPOA and laying the groundwork for justifying more unilateral sanctions against the Iranian nation,” Press TV quoted him as saying.

The ambassador said given the ongoing “extensive” cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, using the board as a tool is “unjustified and meaningless”.

He also hailed the “constructive” interaction and cooperation between Iran and the IAEA to resolve the outstanding Safeguards issues.

Iran expects the IAEA to pursue an “independent, impartial and professional approach without being influenced by the political goals of some countries” on the path to resolve the remaining Safeguards ambiguities, the envoy remarked.

Naziri-Asl further said that some of the mentioned ambiguities are related to old issues that had been closed by the IAEA board back in 2015.

In an interview with Al-Monitor in September, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said his country is ready to work with the IAEA to resolve these questions provided that the Agency addresses these questions “technically,” rather than politically.

Just prior to the adoption of the resolution on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani warned of the "adverse effects" of the motion on the remaining technical issues with the UN body. 

“As a delegate from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has been progressively negotiating and interacting with the IAEA director general (Rafael Grossi) in recent weeks to find a practical solution to the complex and technical issues pertaining to the Safeguards Agreement, there is neither a technical reason whatsoever nor a safeguards urgency to submit such a resolution against Iran,” Press TV quoted Kanaani as explaining.

“The submission of this unnecessary and destructive resolution, and the political abuse of the IAEA position and capacity by the U.S. and the E3 countries have once again exposed the real intention of these countries to advance their political conspiracies and objectives,” he pointed out.

“We expect the independent and sovereign member states of the IAEA Board of Governors, which attach paramount importance to the neutrality, independence and credibility of the Agency as a technical institution, not to back the resolution and to declare their positions clearly,” he added.

Nevertheless, the Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that Iran is committed to the implementation of the Comprehensive Safeguard Agreement, and will continue to cooperate with the Agency on the basis of the accord.

"One should not forget the fact that the uninterrupted implementation of the Safeguards and extensive verification activities of the Agency in Iran have been possible over the past two decades only in light of Iran's cooperation and goodwill," he noted. 

“While the Islamic Republic of Iran stands committed to its international obligations, it remains strong-minded and resilient to defend its national interests and rights, and confront the pressure and excessive demands of the United States and Western countries," the official said. 

Iran has already voiced readiness to hold technical talks with IAEA experts to discuss the accusations related to so-called "undeclared" nuclear sites, which were made based on false reports provided by the Israeli regime.

The resolution says "it is essential and urgent" that Iran explain the origin of the uranium particles and more generally give the IAEA all the answers it requires.

Tehran has asked the IAEA to avoid politicizing the issue and focus on technical aspects in line with the organization's mandate.

Iran has turned off a number of IAEA’s cameras which were functioning outside the Safeguards Agreement since early June after the IAEA board passed a resolution that accused the country of not cooperating with the UN body.

The accusations leveled by the Agency against Iran are primarily based on documents supplied by Israel, which Tehran has rejected as fake and fabricated.