After enduring an air assault by Israel and the United States which led to the bombing of three critical Iranian nuclear establishments, Iranian head of state Masoud Pezeshkian mandated a cessation of the country’s alliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on July 3. The dialogue between the IAEA and Iran is bound to be intricate and filled with technical intricacies, as per the proclamations of the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic.
The first-ever visitation by the nuclear supervisory body since Iran’s severance from the agency a month ago marked its road towards an understanding filled with intriguing complexities. An unfortunate deterioration marked the once cordial relationship between Iran and the IAEA post the Israeli – US led aerial offensive that spanned across 12 days in June, a period which bore witness to the ruthless bombing of essential Iranian nuclear infrastructures.
The IAEA’s governing body proclaimed Iran to be in violation of its obligations to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons on June 12. Interestingly, this announcement arrived just a day before Israeli air strikes over Iran escalated into a full-blown conflict. The agency’s deputy leader’s upcoming visit, however, won’t involve any scheduled visits to the Iranian nuclear locations, a point that the IAEA has yet to publicly address.
While addressing the media, the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, hinted at the possibility of a discussion with the Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. However, he also cautioned towards any foregone conclusions since the talk’s technical and complex nature makes any prediction of the outcome very uncertain.
Baghaei did not shy away from expressing his displeasure at the IAEA’s approach during the June conflict with Israel. He lamented the agency’s decision to withhold a just and logical response to a situation where peaceful infrastructures of a country, under 24-hour surveillance, were the targets of strikes and emphasized the need for condemnation.
Abbas Aragchi has previously indicated that the nature of their collaboration with the IAEA would need to be redefined and any agreements will now need to pass through the Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s highest security body. This shift will inevitably result in further restricting the access Iranian officials provide to nuclear inspectors, thereby limiting their capability to monitor Tehran’s nuclear program.
Over the years, Tehran’s programme has resulted in the enrichment of uranium to levels close to those required for weapon creation. Furthermore, in an alarming development, President Masoud Pezeshkian repeated his instruction for a halt to Iran’s partnership with the IAEA on July 3, subsequent to the bombing of three vital nuclear sites by the United States, amid Israel’s aerial conflict with Iran.
The warfare raged by Israel resulted in the unfortunate loss of nearly 1,100 Iranian lives, a considerable number of which comprised senior military officials. This devastating attack provoked rebuttals from Iran, leading to the unfortunate demise of 28 individuals within Israel’s territories.
In the past, Iran used a technique of allowing a restricted level of inspections by the IAEA as a bargaining chip during negotiations with Western countries. The same approach might be discerned from the recent course of events, although it remains uncertain when the dialogue with Washington to reach an agreement on its nuclear agenda will recommence.
According to assessments by US intelligence bodies and the IAEA, Iran’s last coordinated nuclear weapons initiative was underway in 2003, which brought forth major international attention. However, Tehran’s recent endeavor to enrich uranium to the level of 60% — a mere stone’s throw away from the weapons-grade uranium level of 90% — paints an intense picture of their determined nuclear pursuits.
The post Iran Cuts Ties with IAEA Following Israeli-US led Offensive appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
