The British government has urged an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency after Iran refused to allow inspectors to visit its nuclear sites. The refusal came despite a pledge from US Vice President JD Vance that Washington would not push for regime change if Tehran agreed to inspections. Foreign Secretary David Lammy described Iran's stance as a 'direct challenge to the nuclear non-proliferation regime' and said the UK would press for an emergency IAEA board meeting within days.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, confirmed the decision on state television: 'We will not open our nuclear sites to any foreign inspector under the current circumstances. The offer from the United States is not a serious one.' The move has alarmed European capitals, who had hoped Vance's statement during a visit to London last week would break the deadlock over the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The UK's call for an emergency IAEA session is a significant escalation. Usually, such meetings are reserved for states that have been found in non-compliance with safeguards. Iran has already enriched uranium to 60% purity, a level that is weapons-grade by some definitions. The IAEA's last report in February noted that Iran had enough enriched uranium to build several bombs if further enriched.
Downing Street said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer would speak to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz later today to coordinate a response. A No 10 spokesperson said: 'Iran must understand that the international community will not accept a nuclear-armed Iran. We are united in our determination to ensure Tehran complies with its obligations.'
The crisis comes at a delicate time. The US administration under Donald Trump has been trying to negotiate a new deal with Iran, but hardliners in Tehran appear to have scuppered that effort. Vance's pledge earlier this week had raised hopes: he said the US would not seek to topple the Iranian government in exchange for full IAEA access. But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has long opposed inspections of military sites, which he claims are not subject to the NPT.
Economists fear that a breakdown in diplomacy could lead to further sanctions on Iranian oil exports, which have already pushed prices higher for British motorists and businesses. The average price of a litre of petrol in the UK has risen to 148.9p, up from 142p a month ago. Analysts at the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that any new sanctions could add another 2p to 3p per litre.
For workers in the North of England, where many rely on cars for commuting, the prospect of higher fuel costs is a bitter pill to swallow. Sandra Green, a nurse from Salford, told me: 'We already pay through the nose for petrol. If the government doesn't sort this out, it's the working class who suffer again.'
The IAEA emergency session is expected to be held within 10 days. If Iran continues to refuse access, the UK and its allies may push for a resolution referring the matter to the UN Security Council, which could impose new sanctions. But with Russia and China likely to veto any such move, the path forward is fraught with difficulty.
For now, the price of bread and fuel hangs in the balance. And as ever, it is the families in Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Burnley who will feel the pinch first.
