Politics Iran wants to suspend cooperation with nuclear energy agency
Iran wants to temporarily suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This was decided by the parliament in Tehran, as reported by the state broadcaster IRIB. Two important bodies still have to give their approval: the Iranian Security Council and the Guardian Council - an influential Islamic body in the state. The Security Council is considered the most important political decision-making body in the country and is headed by religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
25.06.2025, 10:15
25.06.2025, 10:17
SDA
According to the decision, the country does not want to allow IAEA inspectors into the country until the "security" of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed. To this end, the organization must condemn the attacks by the USA and Israel on the nuclear facilities and acknowledge the Iranian nuclear programme, said parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf.
According to the latest information from the IAEA, inspectors are currently still in the country. Since the beginning of the attacks on Iran, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has repeatedly emphasized that nuclear facilities should never be targeted due to the risk of a serious radiological accident. However, neither he nor the IAEA Board of Governors have explicitly condemned Israel or the United States for their attacks.
Following the attacks on the Iranian nuclear program, the IAEA is particularly keen to verify the whereabouts of almost weapons-grade uranium. The international authority in Vienna plays a central role in monitoring the Iranian nuclear program. It is responsible for ensuring that Iran only uses civilian, peaceful nuclear technology - and does not develop nuclear weapons. In recent years, however, Iran has increasingly restricted access for IAEA inspectors.
Sharp criticism of the IAEA from Tehran
Iran had sharply criticized the IAEA after the US attacks on nuclear facilities in the course of the war with Israel and accused the organization of inaction. The attacks were carried out "with the indifference or even cooperation" of the IAEA. Iran's nuclear organization declared that Iran's nuclear programme would not be stopped despite the "malicious conspiracies of the enemy". The IAEA is also regarded as the supervisory body of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"For years, we have tried to show the world that we are committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and implement it accordingly (...) but unfortunately, even this treaty could not protect the country or its civilian nuclear program," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in justification, according to IRIB.
IAEA chief: nuclear inspectors must continue their work in Iran
IAEA chief Grossi recently called on Tehran to resume cooperation with its inspectors. This was a "key to a successful diplomatic agreement to finally resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear activities", Grossi was quoted as saying in an IAEA situation report on Tuesday evening.
More than 400 kilograms of uranium
According to an IAEA report, Iran possesses more than 400 kilograms of uranium with an almost weapons-grade purity of 60 percent. The uranium had previously been produced in enrichment plants in Natans and Fordo. According to diplomats, it could be used to produce several nuclear weapons if the material were further enriched to 90 percent. Tehran insists that it does not want to build nuclear weapons, but there has recently been growing concern in many countries that the Islamic Republic is moving ever closer to being able to build nuclear weapons.
Iran had also called into question the international regulations against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities had "dealt a fundamental and irreparable blow to the existing legal system", said Ambassador Resa Najafi on the sidelines of a special meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
The pact prohibits countries without a nuclear arsenal from producing or acquiring such weapons. At the same time, the agreement guarantees all states the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
