West plans to push IAEA board to find Iran in breach of duties diplomats say

VIENNA - Western powers are preparing to push the U.N. nuclear watchdogs board at its next quarterly meeting to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years, a move bound to enrage Tehran, diplomats said.

The step is likely to further complicate talks between the United States and Iran aimed at imposing fresh restrictions on Irans rapidly advancing nuclear programme.

Washington and its European allies Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, proposed past resolutions adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agencys 35-nation Board of Governors calling on Iran to quickly take steps such as explain uranium traces the IAEA found at undeclared sites.

The IAEA is preparing to send member states its quarterly reports on Iran before the next board meeting, which begins on June 9. One of those will be a longer, comprehensive account of issues including Irans cooperation, as demanded by a board resolution in November, and diplomats expect it to be damning.

We expect the comprehensive report to be tough, but there were already no doubts over Iran not keeping its non-proliferation commitments, one European official said.

Once that report is issued, the United States will draft a proposed resolution text declaring Iran in breach of its so-called safeguards obligations, three diplomats said. A fourth said the Western powers were preparing a draft resolution without going into specifics.

The text will be discussed with countries on the board in coming days before being formally submitted to the board by the four Western powers during the quarterly meeting as has happened with previous resolutions, diplomats said.

SECURITY COUNCIL

The last time the board took the step of formally declaring Iran in breach of its safeguards obligations was in September 2005 as part of a diplomatic standoff that stemmed