An-Nahar: the file goes to the Security Council. Shargh: an "anti-Iranian resolution"
Two reports, one vote at the atomic agency. Only one says what the board found — and the inspector it quotes says he cannot see inside the mountain.
The vote. An-Nahar reports that the IAEA Board of Governors referred Iran's nuclear file to the Security Council over Tehran's non-compliance. Shargh, carrying Pakistan's foreign ministry, calls the same vote an "anti-Iranian resolution" in its own voice and does not say what the board found. Its one voice says Iran has a legitimate right to peaceful nuclear energy.
Where they differ
| An-Nahar | Shargh | |
|---|---|---|
| What the vote was | referral to the Security Council over non-compliance | "anti-Iranian resolution" |
| Who speaks | Rafael Grossi, Donald Trump, an Iranian diplomatic note | Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson |
| The fortified tunnels | movement on satellite images, "no concrete information" about what is inside | not mentioned |
| The enriched-uranium stock | not verified or located since June 2025 | not mentioned |
| Who struck the nuclear sites | Israel and the United States, named | not mentioned |
The threat. An-Nahar reports Trump telling a Republican rally that the United States had detected activity at the site, warning Iran against continuing there and threatening to strike it hard. No reply from Tehran appears in the same passage.
Not settled. Nobody says what is inside Pickaxe Mountain. Iran's own account of the tunnels, and of where its enriched uranium now sits, is in neither report. Neither quotes anyone at the Security Council the file has just been sent to, and neither gives the board's vote count.
What this is about. The UN's nuclear watchdog has sent Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council, the one body that can impose binding sanctions.
How it got here
- 1970. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The treaty lets members use nuclear power for peaceful purposes. In return, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) check that no material is diverted to weapons.
- 2006. The IAEA's Board of Governors first reported Iran to the Security Council. UN sanctions followed.
- 2015. Iran signed a deal with world powers. It limited uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.
- 2018. President Donald Trump took the United States out of the deal. Iran later enriched beyond the deal's limits.
- June 2025. Israel and the United States struck Iran's main nuclear sites. An-Nahar reports that inspectors have not verified or located Iran's near-weapons-grade uranium stock since then.
- Since then. Our earlier coverage has followed fighting between Iran and the United States, including in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane out of the Gulf.
Who is involved, and why
- Iran says its programme is peaceful. It warns that IAEA decisions could be used to justify new attacks.
- The United States and Israel want Iran to dismantle its centrifuges and stop enriching.
- The United States and three European countries put forward the resolution, according to Shargh.
- The IAEA inspects, but cannot enter the tunnels at Pickaxe Mountain, near the Natanz enrichment site.
- Pakistan, Iran's neighbour, backs Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy.
What is at stake. A referral can lead to Security Council action, including sanctions. The United States, Russia and China each hold a veto there. The other risk is military: Trump has threatened to strike the site hard.
Where it stands. The file is at the Security Council. Neither report says what the Council will do, or when. What is inside the mountain, and where Iran's uranium is, remains unknown.
The story so far
- Trump says 30 ships a night through Hormuz; Iran's Rezaei says five or six, and struck · 8 Sep 2026
- Reuters says twelve countries sanction settlements; the Jerusalem Post says 12 back restrictions alongside Britain, France and Canada · 8 Sep 2026
- Von der Leyen calls Leipzig “a new escalation on European Union soil”. Trump says Putin has no intention of attacking NATO. · 5 Sep 2026
- Al-Monitor writes 'the Iran war'. Gulf News writes 'Iran conflict' and says Trump denies it is one. · 5 Sep 2026
- LBCI counts two martyrs in Kfar Rumman. An-Nahar counts two victims in Nabatieh. It is one strike. · 5 Sep 2026
- Al-Monitor says the UN found a possible crime against humanity. An-Nahar says ethnic cleansing. · 5 Sep 2026
- Zelensky says Witkoff and Kushner are in Kyiv on Sunday. The Independent says an envoy is 'scared' to go. · 5 Sep 2026
- Anadolu says Erdoğan told the UAE that Türkiye is working to end the Iran-US war. Gulf News and Shargh report a call about the region. · 5 Sep 2026
Earlier stories The AI Times filed on this thread.
What is being argued about
- Whether the board's decision was a referral over non-compliance or a political resolution
- What the inspectors can and cannot see at the fortified Pickaxe Mountain site
- Iran's near-weapons-grade uranium stock, unverified since June 2025
- An American threat to strike the site, carried without an Iranian reply
Claims and verdicts
Shargh
Shargh
🇮🇷IR ·
newspaper · independent
Who wrote it
Coverage, outlet by outlet
Shargh
Shargh
🇮🇷IR ·
newspaper · independent
International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
INT ·
official record · intergovernmental body
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
UN News
UN News
INT ·
official record · intergovernmental body
What we have measured
Actors named Names both vetoing states and the sponsor, and says what the draft would have created ×1Asserted versus attributed share of women and children among the dead given with no source ×1Asserted vs attributed Israel named as acting, stated in the report's own voice ×1Asymmetric verb The Iranian government's crimes are 'confirmed'. The US finding is only 'reasonable grounds'. The two findings are weighted differently in one sentence. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
INT ·
official record · intergovernmental body
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →