The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors on Thursday adopted a Western-backed resolution accusing Iran of breaching its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, marking the first such determination by the UN nuclear watchdog in nearly two decades.
The resolution passed with 19 votes in favor, 3 against (China, Russia and Burkina Faso), and 11 abstentions from developing nations including Brazil, South Africa and India. The 35-member board also considered referring the matter to the UN Security Council.
Iran immediately condemned the decision, with President Masoud Pezeshkian vowing to continue uranium enrichment activities. Speaking in western Iran, Pezeshkian said the country wouldn't change its nuclear course, asserting they would rebuild any destroyed facilities.
He reiterated that Iran isn't pursuing nuclear weapons, citing a binding decree from the Supreme Leader prohibiting their development.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) issued directives to launch a new uranium enrichment center in a safe zone and replace the first-generation gas centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in the central province of Qom with modern sixth-generation ones.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry and the AEOI issued a joint statement, stating that Iran had no other alternative but to respond to the "political" resolution, and other countermeasures were also being planned and would be announced later.
In Vienna, Iranian IAEA envoy Reza Najafi blasted the resolution as "politically motivated," warning of "strong reactions" from the Iranian side.
The Iranian side has not indicated how the adoption of the resolution will impact the sixth round of nuclear talks with the United States scheduled for Sunday in Oman.
IAEA resolution accuses Iran of nuclear violations while Iran vows to continue enrichment
IAEA resolution accuses Iran of nuclear violations while Iran vows to continue enrichment
IAEA resolution accuses Iran of nuclear violations while Iran vows to continue enrichment
International guests who have dedicated their lives to historical truth joined China's 12th national memorial event honoring the hundreds of thousands of victims killed by Japanese troops in the Nanjing Massacre during World War II.
The memorial was held on Saturday at the public square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. China's national flag was flown at half-mast in the presence the crowd that included survivors of the massacre, local students, and international guests.
In one of the most barbaric episodes during WWII, the Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital Nanjing on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
Joining the crowd was Christoph Reinhardt, the great-grandson of John Rabe (1882-1950) who was then a representative of German conglomerate Siemens in the war-ravaged Nanjing. During the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe set up an international safety zone with other foreigners, and they together saved the lives of around 250,000 Chinese people between 1937 and 1938 from the Japanese invaders.
Throughout the massacre, Rabe continued to keep a diary. To this day, all his pages remain one of the most comprehensive historical records of the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors.
Sayoko Yamauchi, who was also in the crowd of mourners, arrived in Nanjing on Friday from Japan's Osaka to attend Saturday's ceremony, just as she has done almost every year since China designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 2014.
Yamauchi's grandfather was one of the Japanese soldiers who invaded Nanjing in January 1938. However, since first setting foot in Nanjing in 1987, she has dedicated herself to uncovering and spreading the truth about Japan's history of aggression and enlightening the Japanese public about their country's wartime atrocities.
In 2014, ahead of China's first National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Yamauchi, along with 10 other individuals, received an award for her special contribution to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
By attending the grand memorial event, Reinhardt and Yamauchi both said they hope to convey a message of remembering history and cherishing peace.
"This is my fifth visit to China, and Nanjing, and the third times I visited the ceremony. I have a wish that these survivors survive again and again and again. But my other wish is that the families of the survivors, that they transport the information, the right intention like their ancestors, because anyone must hold a hand (during) this remembering," Reinhardt told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview before the event began on Saturday.
"Our delegation is on its 20th visit to China, coming to Nanjing to express our heartfelt condolences to those who perished 88 years ago, to remember this history, and to reflect on what we can do for a new future. That's why we are here," Yamauchi told CCTV on board the bus that took her to a local hotel in Nanjing on Friday evening.
Int'l guests call for remembering history at China's national event honoring Nanjing Massacre victims
