Iran’s head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, told state media on January 31 that Western powers are unlikely to let the Iranian nuclear dossier rest and that Tehran has been cooperating with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards on intact facilities. He warned that the issue could be forwarded to the United Nations Security Council at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting planned for March, and accused Western countries — including the United States — of seizing any opportunity to increase pressure on Iran.
Eslami reiterated Tehran’s long-standing official position that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, asserting that Iran can defend itself and maintain an effective deterrent without developing nuclear arms. He emphasized that inspections of undamaged facilities have proceeded in accordance with IAEA safeguards, signaling Tehran’s interest in maintaining a veneer of compliance even as diplomatic tensions rise.
The possible referral to the Security Council would mark a significant escalation of the institutional dimension of the standoff between Iran and Western capitals. The IAEA board has in the past referred cases to the Security Council when it deemed safeguards agreements were not being met or when unresolved questions about undeclared activities persisted; such referrals carry political weight and can trigger new rounds of sanctions or diplomatic isolation.
Eslami’s rhetoric performs several functions at once: it reassures domestic audiences of Tehran’s defensive posture, signals to regional rivals that Iran believes its conventional and asymmetric capabilities suffice for deterrence, and attempts to frame Western efforts as politically motivated. For Western governments, the choice to press for a March referral will test transatlantic unity and the appetite for pressing punitive measures versus keeping open diplomatic channels.
The coming weeks are likely to see intensified diplomatic maneuvering. If the board moves the file to the Security Council, expect hardline responses from some Western capitals and cautious hedging from others, while Iran might respond by tightening cooperation with the IAEA or by accentuating its regional posture. The episode underscores how the nuclear file continues to be a lever of geopolitical contestation, not merely a technical matter of inspections and safeguards.