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Tehran Approves Law to Suspend Cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency
Official Iranian media reported today, Wednesday, that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has ratified a law passed by the parliament last month, which stipulates suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the implementation of this decision has begun. This ratification comes in the wake of Israeli and American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, as the parliament swiftly enacted the law based on Article 60 of the 1969 Vienna Convention, which allows the suspension of contractual obligations in the event of a material breach by the other party.
The law states that, due to what Iran describes as "violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity" by Israel and the United States, the government is obligated to suspend all forms of cooperation with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency until certain conditions are met, including ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities and Iranian scientists.
Iranian television quoted Raisi as saying that he “approved the law to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” making it effective. He confirmed that this move reflects Iran's stance in response to what it considers violations and threats to its sovereignty.
In related developments, the Iranian president made statements on Monday indicating that the double standards followed by the IAEA have caused issues related to regional and global security. He also held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, during which he emphasized that Iran's nuclear activities have been under the agency's supervision and that monitoring cameras were operational at its facilities.
These developments follow France, Germany, and the UK condemning the joint statement that included threats against IAEA Director Rafael Grossi after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, and Iran’s announcement of suspending cooperation with the agency. Tehran accused Grossi of “betraying his commitments” for not condemning the strikes, while Iranian lawmakers voted last week to halt cooperation with the IAEA.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the agency’s secret report, which indicated that Iran is accelerating its work to produce highly enriched uranium nearing 60%, serves as a pretext for the attacks on its nuclear facilities that occurred in mid-June. Iran regarded the agency’s June 12 resolution, which accused Iran of non-compliance, as a “pretext” for fabricating justification for military strikes by the United States and Israel.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, called on Monday for access to the nuclear sites targeted by US strikes, in order to determine the status of the highly enriched uranium stockpile, which reports suggest has approached 90%, the level required for military use.
