What Happened
The United Kingdom, France and Germany have scrapped a plan to lobby the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 35-nation Board of Governors to censure Iran for limiting IAEA inspectors’ access to nuclear sites, Reuters reported March 4. According to a diplomat cited in the report, Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA will be taken up again at the next quarterly board meeting in June.

Why It Matters
Delaying a potential censure provides the European powers and the United States more time to determine how best to begin negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. It also demonstrates Western diplomats’ desire to avoid pushing Iran to the point of ending cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog altogether for fear of provoking conflict.

Background
The United States and Europe had been considering imposing a censure motion on Iran in response to Tehran’s Feb. 23 suspension of its so-called “Additional Protocol” agreement, which allows U.N. inspectors to monitor Tehran’s nuclear program and visit its facilities.