US demands Iran to resume cooperation with IAEA

The United States is demanding that Iran resume cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which it halted following strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce made the statement during a briefing on July 2, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

Bruce called Iran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the IAEA "unacceptable," especially "at a time when it has the opportunity to change course and choose the path of peace and prosperity."

She stated that Tehran must "without further delay" fully resume its cooperation with the IAEA.

"Iran must fully comply with the safeguards agreement under the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), including providing the IAEA with the information it needs to clarify and resolve longstanding issues regarding undeclared nuclear material," the State Department spokesperson emphasised.

The IAEA, tasked with monitoring Iran’s compliance under the NPT, has faced challenges since 2018, including restricted access to sites and undeclared nuclear activities at locations like Fordow and Natanz. Iran’s suspension of IAEA cooperation in June 2025 followed Israeli airstrikes on June 13, targeting nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, and U.S. strikes on June 21, which used bunker-buster bombs. Iran reported 606–974 deaths from these attacks, per its Health Ministry and Human Rights Activists News Agency, prompting Tehran to limit IAEA inspections and threaten NPT withdrawal, citing violations of its sovereignty.

By Khagan Isayev