Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has approved legislation requiring the government to suspend Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state media reported.
The official Press TV and other Iranian news agencies confirmed Pezeshkian’s approval of the law, which Iran’s parliament passed last week.
The legislation follows Iran’s parliament passing the bill after the IAEA Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years on 12 June. The dispute escalated after Israel launched attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities on 13 June, followed by US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan on 21-22 June.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the IAEA had refused to condemn attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and “has put its international credibility up for sale”. He said cooperation would be suspended “until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed”.
The suspension includes installing surveillance cameras, allowing inspections and submitting reports to the IAEA. Any future inspections would require approval by the Supreme National Security Council, according to the legislation.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on 13 June that nuclear facilities must never be attacked and called the strikes “deeply concerning”. Grossi said returning inspectors to Iranian nuclear sites was his top priority following the military strikes.
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