Nuclear watchdog group warns Iran
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Iran says its nuclear facility at Arak, shown in this satellite photo, is for peaceful uses only.
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(CNN) -- The U.N. nuclear watchdog's governing board Wednesday approved a resolution condemning Iran's secret nuclear program, and sending what the agency's chief calls a "serious and ominous message" to Iran that future breaches "will not be tolerated.
"It clearly strengthens my hand in fulfilling our task in ensuring Iran's program is exclusively for peaceful purposes," said Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The resolution notes Iran's past breaches of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and calls on Tehran to cooperate with the IAEA. It also welcomes Iran's recent offer "of active cooperation and openness."
ElBaradei told reporters that the resolution "deplores in strong terms Iran's undeclared activities. It makes it very clear that Iran should cooperate fully and in a very transparent way in the weeks and months to come."
While it does not refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council, it allows the board to take action, such as going to the council, if Iran fails to comply with the nuclear agency.
"It also makes it very clear that should any serious failures come to light in the future, these will be taken by the board with the seriousness that it deserves," said ElBaradei.
Iran has agreed to allow tougher U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities and to suspend its uranium enrichment program, but the U.S. wants to see the words backed by actions.
Top Iranian official Dr. Hassan Rowhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said last month that Iran was voluntarily making the moves to "promote international goodwill, create stability, and put an end to tensions."
He said that Iran would also cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
ElBaradei expressed satisfaction over the resolution.
"It's a good day for peace because the board had decided to continue to make every effort to resolve the issue through verification and diplomacy. It's a good day for multilateralism because the international community stood as one in addressing what could be a very serious issue with major implications.
"It's also a very good day for non-proliferation because the board sends a very powerful message on the need to respect fully the integrity of the non-proliferation regime and the non-proliferation treaty."
The United States and the IAEA plan to study Iran's recent declarations of its nuclear program before the IAEA's Board of Governors' next meeting in March, said ElBaradei. It will also test Iran's promise to sign the additional protocol of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which calls for more robust inspections.
The resolution calls for another report from ElBaradei by February.
ElBaradei said, "We are now in completely new territory" with respect to Iran, saying the Islamic republic has committed itself to a robust verification process and to suspending all enrichment-related and processing activity that would lead to the development of nuclear weaponry.
He said there is "a lot of work to do before we can conclude that Iran's program is exclusively for peaceful purposes."
"If we succeed, that clearly will build confidence over time and will open the way for a new chapter in terms of Iran's ... relationship with the international community. Our work in the next few weeks is going to be very intensive. We are going to be fully engaged in Iran with a lot of inspection and verification activity."
The United States hammered out the resolution with Britain, acting on behalf of France and Germany.
