New Delhi: Iran on Thursday formally suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), after the Guardian Council approved a bill passed by Parliament in response to US military strikes on its nuclear facilities.
The law prohibits IAEA inspectors from entering Iran unless guarantees are provided for the security of its nuclear sites and peaceful atomic activities. It effectively halts all on-ground verification activities by the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
The decision came after US launched airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, which Iran says violated international law and the United Nations Charter. The Iranian parliament passed the bill with near-unanimous support on Wednesday, and the Guardian Council — the country’s constitutional vetting body — confirmed its approval on Thursday.
Iran to deny access to IAEA inspectors
“Considering the attacks against Iran’s territorial integrity by the Zionist regime and the United States, and the IAEA’s failure to condemn them, cooperation with the agency is suspended until our security concerns are addressed,” said Guardian Council spokesperson Hadi Tahan Nazif.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran would deny access to IAEA inspectors “until the safety of nuclear facilities and peaceful nuclear activity is guaranteed.”
Lawmakers had criticised the IAEA for what they called silence over the attacks, with Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accusing the agency of “putting its credibility up for sale”.
‘Strikes not to affect Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme’
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said the strikes would not affect the country’s peaceful nuclear programme, and warned that the attacks were in breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), under which Iran maintains its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) will determine when conditions are met to resume cooperation, officials said.
The development comes days after a US-brokered ceasefire ended a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, during which both sides exchanged missile and drone attacks. The US later joined the conflict, claiming its strikes were aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons capability—an accusation Tehran has repeatedly denied.
