Iran suspends IAEA oversight, demands safety guarantees for atomic sites

Iran’s parliament has voted to suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), demanding assurances for the safety and protection of the country's nuclear facilities amid heightened regional tensions.

The decision was announced by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who placed direct blame on the IAEA and its Director General, Rafael Grossi, for what he called “an appalling situation,” according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

Araghchi accused Grossi of facilitating the passage of a politically motivated resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors, and of indirectly enabling military strikes by Israel and the United States against Iranian nuclear sites.

“The IAEA and its Director General bear full responsibility for this appalling situation,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran “reserves the right to take any necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security and interests.”

Under the resolution passed by the Iranian parliament, Iran will now halt all key forms of engagement with the IAEA. This includes denying agency inspectors access to nuclear facilities, ceasing the installation of surveillance cameras, blocking inspection efforts, and suspending submission of nuclear reports. These restrictions will remain in effect until Iran receives what it deems credible and sufficient guarantees ensuring the safety of all its nuclear sites.

The move comes in response to recent military actions by Israel and the United States. On June 13, Israeli airstrikes targeted three of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants, with the United States entering the conflict nine days later by striking additional nuclear sites.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi had earlier emphasised that re-establishing access to Iranian nuclear facilities was his top priority. Speaking at a security cabinet meeting in Austria, Grossi described the situation as urgent, stating: “This is the number 1 priority.” He underscored the importance of on-site inspections to maintain international oversight and monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.

Grossi also addressed concerns about the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, particularly material enriched to 60% purity—near weapons-grade levels. He confirmed that Tehran had sent a communication on the day of the Israeli strikes, but did not provide specific details about the stockpiles.

“They did not get into details as to what that meant, but clearly that was the implicit meaning of that. We can imagine this material is there,” Grossi said, suggesting that a significant portion of the uranium likely survived the attacks.