VIENNA, March 4: The UN atomic watchdog decided on Tuesday that no additional action was needed against Iran on top of the UN Security Council’s decision to tighten sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

On the second day of its regular March meeting here, a push by western nations for a resolution against Iran was dropped amid objections from Russia, China and developing countries, diplomats said.

Just a day after the UN Security Council slapped a third set of sanctions on Iran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, European countries drafted a resolution which they wanted to put to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors here.

But the text was finally ditched after its opponents — notably the Russians, the Chinese and the so-called Non-Aligned Movement — argued it was superfluous following the UN Security Council decision.

The Iran issue itself was expected to be discussed by the board on Wednesday.

“It wasn’t only the Russians and the Chinese. More than that, the decision in New York speaks for itself,” one western diplomat said.

Furthermore, it could prove counter-productive and lead Iran to reduce cooperation with the IAEA, other diplomats said.

Cuban Ambassador Norma Goicochea Estenoz told reporters that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a bloc of nations of which she is chair, was opposed to such a resolution.

“We don’t think that there is any need for a draft resolution. In our opinion, it would damage the environment of cooperation and confidence-building between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the agency,” she said.

The idea of a separate IAEA resolution had been to turn up the pressure on Iran to clear up allegations of alleged nuclear weapons work just a day after the UN Security Council decision.

Western diplomats felt recent intelligence suggesting Tehran is involved in nuclear weapons work would have sufficiently raised concern within the IAEA to ensure the passage of such a resolution at the agency’s board meeting.—AFP