On July 3, Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, issued a directive for the nation to halt its collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This action came in response to the bombing of three significant Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States while Israel was actively engaged in an aerial conflict with Iran.
According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the forthcoming discussions with the IAEA will be fraught with intricate technical details and complexities. This is the watchdog’s first visit to Iran since the country severed its connections with the organization the previous month.
The diplomatic rapport between Iran and the IAEA took a turn for the worse after a series of conflicts unfolded over 12 days in June. A combined aerial assault by Israel and the United States culminated in the bombing of crucial nuclear facilities in Iran, further straining the relationship.
On June 12, the board of the IAEA publicly declared that Iran had failed to comply with its obligations to non-proliferation. This announcement came just a day before Israel initiated an air strike over Iran, igniting a full-blown war.
As of yet, the IAEA has not issued an official statement concerning the impending visit by its deputy head. Importantly, this visit will exclude any pre-arranged access to Iranian nuclear facilities.
Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, suggested that a meeting might be arranged with Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi. Baghaei cautioned, however, that it was too early to speculate on the outcomes of the talks, citing their highly technical and complex nature.
Disapproval of the IAEA’s handling of the situation during the June conflict with Israel was not shied away from by Baghaei. He pointed out how Iran’s peaceful facilities were subject to attacks while under 24-hour surveillance, and questioned the IAEA’s reluctance to react prudently and decisively by condemning the actions.
In prior statements, Aragchi has mentioned that future cooperation with the IAEA, which would necessitate the sanction of Iran’s highest security council – the Supreme National Security Council, would involve redefining the foundations of collaboration from both ends. This could potentially result in a decrease in the capabilities of inspectors to accurately track Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Reiterating President Pezeshkian’s declaration from July 3rd, Iran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA after the USA’s bombing of three major Iranian nuclear sites. This occurred amidst Israel’s aerial attacks against Iran, which led to the loss of almost 1,100 lives, amongst them several military leaders.
Israel’s retaliatory actions to Iran’s strikes led to the death of 28 individuals within its borders. Over the years, Iran has intermittently restricted the extent of IAEA inspections as a bargaining tactic amidst negotiations with Western nations.
At present, it remains unclear when negotiations between Tehran and Washington D.C. in regards to a deal related to the nuclear program will reconvene. In the past, both the U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA have speculated that Iran last maintained a structured nuclear weapons agenda in 2003.
However, it has been observed that Iran has been producing uranium at an enrichment level of 60%, which technically puts them just a short step away from acquiring weapons-grade uranium, typically enriched to 90%.
These events underscore the tense and complex relationship between Iran, the IAEA, and other nations like the United States and Israel. The future of Iran’s nuclear program and its subsequent impacts on its national security and international relations remain steeped in uncertainty.
The post Iran Suspends Collaboration with IAEA Following US Bombing appeared first on Real News Now.
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