Iran suspended on Wednesday its cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, days after a ceasefire in a war that saw Israeli and US strikes on nuclear sites in the Islamic republic.
The unprecedented war, which broke out on June 13 and lasted for 12 days, has intensified tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill to suspend cooperation with the agency.
It was later approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before a final ratification from the presidency.
Iranian President “Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency”, state TV said on Wednesday.
Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA for what they described as the agency’s “silence” in the face of the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
Tehran has also lambasted the agency for a resolution adopted on June 12 that accuses Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.
Iranian officials said the resolution was among the “excuses” for the Israeli attacks.
Iran has rejected a request from the IAEA’s chief, Rafael Grossi, to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war.
Earlier this week, Pezeshkian decried Grossi’s “destructive” conduct, while France, Germany and Britain have condemned unspecified “threats” against the IAEA chief.
Iran’s ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper has recently claimed that documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.
Iran has said Grossi’s request to visit the bombarded sites signalled “malign intent”, but insisted there were no threats against him or against inspectors from his agency.
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the parliament vote to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the “concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion”.
The 12-day war began when Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, with Tehran responding with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israel.
On June 22, Israel’s ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.
More than 900 people were killed in Iran, according to the judiciary.
Iran’s retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities.
US President Donald Trump said the US attacks had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, though the extent of the damage was not clear.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has admitted “serious” damage to nuclear sites.
But in a recent interview with CBS Evening News, he said: “One cannot obliterate the technology and science… through bombings.”
Israel and some Western countries say Iran has sought nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.
AFP
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