CNN.com - Showdown looms with Iran

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VIENNA, Austria (CNN) -- The international community's showdown with Iran over its alleged pursuit of a nuclear weapons program moved closer as the 35-member board of governors to the International Atomic Energy Agency met Thursday in emergency session to vote on the matter.

Ahead of the meeting, the so-called EU3 -- Britain, France and Germany, the European Union countries that had been spearheading talks with Iran -- formally submitted a draft resolution to the IAEA board, requesting the matter of Iran's nuclear activities be addressed by the U.N. Security Council.

The resolution says the EU3 "deeply regrets" that, despite calls to maintain its suspension on nuclear activities, Iran resumed uranium conversion last summer and "took steps to resume enrichment" last month.

In addition, it "calls on Iran to understand that the board lacks confidence in its intentions in seeking to develop a fissile material production capability" and requests that Iran "extend full and prompt cooperation" to the IAEA.

The head of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei, said Thursday that moves to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council were "not a crisis" but "a window of opportunity" in resolving the standoff.

"We are reaching a critical phase but it is in no way a crisis situation," he told reporters.

Iran has said it is pursuing nuclear research for peaceful purposes; the United States and other countries accuse Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb.

"There doesn't seem to be a great deal of doubt" that a report will be passed, said Rebecca Johnson, director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament and Diplomacy.

The report has the support of the EU and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Russia, China, Britain, France and the United States.

On Wednesday, a "troubling" briefing in Vienna revealed evidence that Iran may be pursuing nuclear weapons, the U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

"The briefing highlighted many unanswered questions about (Iran's nuclear) program, and it also reported on new questions, including questions pointing directly to a military dimension, including the fabrication of nuclear weapons components and the design of missile re-entry vehicles," Greg Schulte said.

Johnson said the documents contained a "smoking gun" -- information on shaping uranium metal into hemispheres, which could serve only one purpose: "to get a bomb."

Iran's ambassador to the IAEA said the accusations are without merit and blamed faulty intelligence.

"We are experiencing the same bitter experience as Iraq," said Ali-Asgh'ar Soltanieh. "We've had 20 of these allegations and one by one have been proven baseless."

He noted the failure of U.S. intelligence to determine that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction prior to the U.S.-led invasion. "We are worrying that the same mistake will be made," he said.

However, Soltanieh told CNN's Becky Anderson that Iran's referral to the council would cause it to lift its voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment at its nuclear facility in Natanz.

"The government has to stop voluntary cooperation with the IAEA if there is any referral or reporting of Iran's nuclear dossier to the United Nations Security Council," he said.

In order to get Russia and China to sign on, the draft resolution was amended to include a request that the Security Council wait until March before taking action against Iran. That is when IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei is to present his report on Iran's nuclear program to the board of governors at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

That could open the door for negotiations on a proposal under which Russia would enrich uranium for Iran. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, said Wednesday that Iran is considering the proposal along with several others, "but we don't see any sign of life in this plan at the time being."

"If they give us enough time to consider Russia's proposal, then there will be more opportunities," Larijani said, noting that the proposal does not rule out enrichment in Iran.

Iranian officials Wednesday showed no sign of backing off their refusal to halt nuclear activity in the wake of international pressure.

"Our nation can't give in to the coercion of some bully countries who imagine they are the whole world and see themselves equal to the entire globe," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech Wednesday.

Speaking in Bushehr, the site of Iran's nuclear power plant, the Iranian leader stood by the country's commitment to its nuclear program.

"Nuclear energy is our right, and we will resist until this right is fully realized," Ahmadinejad said.

CNN's Elise Labott and Richard Roth and journalist Christian Mahne contributed to this report

Showdown looms with Iran

Negotiations at a critical phrase but 'not a crisis,' says ElBaradei

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