Iran suspends cooperation with IAEA following US attack on nuclear sites

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a decree suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This move followed a June 25 decision by Iran’s parliament to halt cooperation with the IAEA, occurring just one day after the end of the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

Israel claims the conflict was sparked by Iran’s advancing nuclear program, which it views as a nuclear weapons threat.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hamid Reza Khaji Babaei later confirmed that Iran will no longer permit IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to visit its nuclear sites or allow the installation of video surveillance cameras at these facilities.

Iran justified the suspension by criticising the IAEA’s silence following Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites. Tehran accused the agency of failing to prevent these “unprovoked attacks” and “unprecedented strikes.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi acknowledged that missions in Iran have been suspended, access to nuclear facilities is currently impossible, and inspections pose risks. “We do not know if there are any unexploded munitions left. But the priority is to restore access. Without that, the situation is extremely fragile,” Grossi said from the agency’s Vienna headquarters.

Despite the setbacks, Grossi emphasised that Iran has retained its core nuclear knowledge and technology. “We can talk about how far the program has been set back, but I am against the ‘hourglass’ analogy. Iran still has its nuclear potential, knowledge, and industrial capacity. That is the reality,” he said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed defiance, accusing the US and Israel of only strengthening Iran’s resolve. “They thought they would stop us. On the contrary, it strengthened our will. We have invested too much and paid too high a price. No one in Iran will give up nuclear technology. Under no circumstances,” Araghchi said. He added that Iran’s nuclear program was transparent and under IAEA control before, but “now, after the tacit approval of the aggression, there is no trust left.”

Iran’s nuclear history dates back decades. Tehran ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1970 and signed an agreement with the IAEA in 1974 allowing monitoring and inspections to ensure its nuclear program’s peaceful nature. The program was halted after the 1979 Islamic Revolution but later resumed. In the 1990s, Iran was first accused of pursuing nuclear weapons.

In 2003, the IAEA discovered uranium enrichment activities, which Iran admitted were undeclared. Tehran signed an additional protocol to the NPT and suspended enrichment following IAEA recommendations, but resumed it in 2005. By 2006, Iran faced accusations of non-cooperation and international sanctions.

Efforts to resolve the issue led to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which Iran agreed to limit uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the US withdrew from the deal in 2018, prompting Iran to resume nuclear development a year later.

Since 2021, Iran has increasingly limited IAEA access to its nuclear sites and enriched uranium closer to weapons-grade levels. Before the recent conflict, the US and Iran held talks to revive the nuclear deal, but these efforts failed.

By Tamilla Hasanova