Iran has withdrawn a proposed resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) annual General Conference, that sought to ban attacks on nuclear facilities, following U.S. warnings of reduced agency funding if it passed, amid lingering fallout from June's Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian sites.

Iran's Ambassador Reza Najafi announced the deferral to next year's conference on Thursday, citing "goodwill and constructive engagement" at the request of member states, while decrying "intimidation and political pressure" from an "aggressor."

The draft, co-sponsored by Russia, China, Cuba, Venezuela, and Belarus, condemned the "deliberate and unlawful attacks" on Iran's nuclear facilities in June as violations of international law and reaffirmed prohibitions against targeting peaceful nuclear sites.

Western diplomats revealed the U.S. had lobbied intensely, threatening to slash IAEA contributions—its largest donor—if the resolution curtailed Israel's rights within the agency.

U.S. Charge d'Affaires Howard Solomon called the text a "deeply inaccurate" distortion of events, predicting its "overwhelming" defeat, and justified the strikes as responses to Iran's "grave" uranium enrichment threat to Israel and the region under President Trump's direction.

The move caps a tense IAEA gathering of 180 member states, which approves budgets and addresses nuclear safety. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization head Mohammad Eslami had urged action against the strikes and U.S. "threats," accusing Washington of budget manipulation to instrumentalize the IAEA.

Tensions trace to June 13, 2025, when Israel launched preemptive airstrikes on over 100 Iranian targets, including Natanz, Fordow, and Esfahan enrichment facilities, killing senior nuclear scientists and IRGC leaders like Quds Force Commander Esmail Ghaani.