Iran suspends co-operation with UN nuclear watchdog

The Associated Press

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 9:38 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Iran's president connected Wednesday ordered the state to suspend its co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency aft U.S. and Israeli airstrikes deed its most-important atomic facilities, apt further limiting the quality of inspectors to way Tehran's programme that had been enriching uranium to adjacent weapons-grade levels.

The bid by President Masoud Pezeshkian included nary timetables oregon details astir what that suspension would entail.

Iranian authorities tv announced President Masoud Pezeshkian's order, which followed a instrumentality passed by Iran's parliament to suspend that co-operation. The measure already received the support of Iran's law watchdog, the Guardian Council, connected Thursday, and apt the enactment of the country's Supreme National Security Council, which Pezeshkian chairs.

There were nary timetables oregon details fixed astir what the suspension would entail.

"The authorities is mandated to instantly suspend each co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency nether the Treaty connected the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its related Safeguards Agreement," authorities tv quoted the measure arsenic saying. "This suspension volition stay successful effect until definite conditions are met, including the guaranteed information of atomic facilities and scientists."

It wasn't instantly wide what that would mean for the Vienna-based IAEA, the UN atomic watchdog. The bureau has agelong monitored Iran's atomic programme and said that it was waiting for an authoritative connection from Iran connected what the suspension meant.

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Iran's determination drew an contiguous condemnation from Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.

"Iran has conscionable issued a scandalous announcement astir suspending its co-operation with the IAEA," helium said successful an X post. "This is simply a implicit renunciation of each its planetary atomic obligations and commitments."

Saar urged European nations that were portion of the 2015 multilateral nuclear woody with Iran to instrumentality its alleged snapback clause. That would reimpose each UN sanctions connected it primitively lifted by Tehran's atomic woody with satellite powers, if 1 of its Western parties declares the Islamic Republic is retired of compliance with it.

Israel is wide believed to beryllium the lone nuclear-armed authorities successful the Middle East, and the IAEA doesn't person entree to its weapons-related facilities.

Inspections scaled backmost aft 2018

Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to let the IAEA adjacent greater entree to its atomic program. That included permanently installing cameras and sensors astatine atomic sites. Those cameras, inside of metallic housings sprayed with a peculiar bluish overgarment that shows immoderate effort to tamper with it, took inactive images of delicate sites.

Other devices, known arsenic online enrichment monitors, measured the uranium enrichment level astatine Iran's Natanz atomic facility.

The IAEA besides regularly sent inspectors into Iranian sites to behaviour surveys, sometimes collecting biology samples with fabric apparel and swabs that would beryllium tested astatine IAEA labs backmost successful Austria. Others show Iranian sites via outer images.  

U.S. President Donald Trump, successful his archetypal word successful 2018, unilaterally withdrew Washington from the accord, insisting it wasn't pugnacious capable and didn't code Iran's rocket programme oregon its enactment for militant groups successful the wider Middle East.

In the years since that decision, Iran has constricted IAEA inspections and stopped the bureau from accessing camera footage. It has also removed cameras. At 1 point, Iran accused an IAEA inspector of investigating affirmative for explosive nitrates, thing the bureau disputed.

Damage appraisal astatine sites continues

The IAEA has engaged successful years of negotiations with Iran to reconstruct afloat entree for its inspectors. While Tehran hasn't granted that, it besides hasn't wholly thrown inspectors out. Analysts presumption this arsenic portion of Iran's wider strategy to usage its atomic programme arsenic a bargaining spot with the West.

Iran's 2015 atomic woody allowed Iran to enrich uranium to 3.67 per cent — capable to substance a atomic powerfulness plant, but acold beneath the threshold of 90 per cent needed for weapons-grade uranium. It besides drastically reduced Iran's stockpile of uranium, constricted its usage of centrifuges and relied connected the IAEA to oversee Tehran's compliance done further oversight.  

In May, reports from the IAEA indicated that Iran had been enriching up to 60 per cent. It besides has capable of a stockpile to physique aggregate atomic bombs, should it take to bash so. Iran has agelong insisted its atomic programme is for peaceful purposes.

Israel began a sustained run of airstrikes on Iranian targets on June 13, which included its nuclear sites, arsenic good arsenic targeting several of the country's physicists and scientists who were alleged to have worked connected the atomic program.  

Days later, the U.S. participated successful the subject run with strikes connected the Fordow, Natanza and Isfahan nuclear sites, with American B-2 bombers utilizing bunker-buster bombs astatine Fordow, a tract built nether a upland astir 100 kilometres southwest of Tehran.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press amusement Iranian officials astatine Fordow connected Monday apt examining the damage. Trucks could beryllium seen successful the images, arsenic good arsenic astatine slightest 1 crane and an excavator astatine tunnels connected the site. 

Iran unfastened to talks astatine immoderate point

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS News successful an interview published Tuesday that its facilities had been "heavily and earnestly damaged," but that "no 1 precisely knows that transpired astatine Fordow." 

The strikes followed respective rounds of talks betwixt Washington and Tehran officials implicit a play of months toward a caller atomic deal. Araghchi told CBS "the doors of diplomacy volition ne'er slam shut," with the U.S.

As Iran was bombarded for astir 2 weeks, it fired much than 550 ballistic missiles astatine Israel successful retaliation, killing 28 people.

Iran has said the Israeli attacks killed 935 "Iranian citizens," including 38 children and 102 women. However, Iran has a agelong past of offering little decease counts astir unrest implicit governmental considerations.

The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided elaborate casualty figures from aggregate rounds of unrest successful Iran, has enactment the decease toll astatine 1,190 radical killed, including 436 civilians and 435 information unit members. The attacks wounded different 4,475 people, the radical said.