Iran’s Guardian Council endorses bill to suspend IAEA cooperation

TEHRAN: The Iranian body tasked with vetting legislation approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday, citing recent US and Israeli strikes.

Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of the bill on Wednesday, a day after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Israel that saw Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Since the start of the war on June 13, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA for failing to condemn the attacks.

Iran has also criticised the agency for passing a resolution on June 13 accusing it of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.

Iranian officials say the censure motion was “one of the main excuses” for the Israeli and US attacks.

“The government is required to suspend all cooperation with the (International Atomic Energy Agency) to ensure full respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Guardian Council spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif told the official IRNA news agency.

He said the move was prompted by the “attacks… by the Zionist regime and the United States against peaceful nuclear facilities.”

The bill, which will now be submitted to President Masoud Pezeshkian for final ratification, would allow Iran “to benefit from all the entitlements specified under… the Non-Proliferation Treaty especially with regard to uranium enrichment,” Nazif said.

Also read: Khamenei says Iran will ‘never surrender’ to US

Israel launched a major bombing campaign on June 13 that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities and killed top scientists and commanders.

On Sunday, Israel’s ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on Tuesday.

IAEA CONTROVERSY

Just a day before the Israel’s attack on Iran, the UN nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors approved a resolution on June 12, declaring Iran is not complying with its commitment to international nuclear safeguards.

In its reaction, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Atomic Energy Organization in a joint statement had described the resolution as “politically motivated”. The resolution “seriously undermines the credibility and integrity of the IAEA”, they said.

On the other hand, some circles even claim that Israel was able to assassinate the Iranian scientists during the 12-day war only because the IAEA had shared their details to it.

RUSSIA HAS DIFFERENT VIEWS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said Russia wants Iran to continue its cooperation with the IAEA.

Russia, with a strategic partnership with Iran, has condemned the Israeli and US strikes. It says Tehran has the right to a peaceful nuclear energy programme.

Lavrov noted that the Iranian parliament did not have executive power so its decision was advisory in nature.

He told a press conference that “we are interested in Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA continuing.”

“We are interested in everyone respecting the Supreme Leader of Iran, who has repeatedly stated that Iran does not and will not have plans to create nuclear weapons.”