Iran suspended on Wednesday its cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, days after a ceasefire in a war that saw Israeli and US strikes on nuclear sites in the Islamic republic.
The unprecedented war, which broke out on June 13 and lasted for 12 days, has intensified tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the bill to suspend cooperation with the agency.
It was later approved by the Guardian Council, a body tasked with vetting legislation, before a final ratification from the presidency.
Iranian President “Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency”, state TV said on Wednesday.
Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA for what they described as the agency’s “silence” in the face of the Israeli and US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
Tehran has also lambasted the agency for a resolution adopted on June 12 that accuses Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.
Iranian officials said the resolution was among the “excuses” for the Israeli attacks.
Iran has rejected a request from the IAEA’s chief, Rafael Grossi, to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war.
