Iran committed to Non-Proliferation Treaty, foreign minister says
'Our cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) will be channeled through Iran's Supreme National Security Council for obvious safety and security reasons,' Araqchi wrote in a post on X.
President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday enacted the legislation passed by parliament last week to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, a move the US called 'unacceptable.'
Araqchi's comment on X was in response to a call from Germany's Foreign Ministry urging Tehran to reverse its decision to shelve cooperation with the IAEA.
Araqchi accused Germany of 'explicit support for Israel's unlawful attack on Iran, including safeguarded nuclear sites.'
Iran has accused the IAEA of siding with Western countries and providing a justification for Israel'sJune 13-24 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear installations, which began a day after the UN agency's board of governors voted to declare Tehran in violation of its obligations under the NPT.
Western powers have long suspected that Iran has sought to develop the means to build atomic bombs through its declared civilian atomic energy program. Iran has repeatedly said it is enriching uranium only for peaceful nuclear ends.
IAEA inspectors are mandated to ensure compliance with the NPT by seeking to verify that nuclear programs in treaty countries are not diverted for military purposes.
The law that went into effect on Wednesday mandates that any future inspection of Iranian nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by Tehran's Supreme National Security Council.
'We are aware of these reports. The IAEA is awaiting further official information from Iran,' the Vienna-based global nuclear watchdog said in a statement.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a regular briefing on Wednesday that Iran needed to cooperate fully with the IAEA without further delay.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Settlers and Palestinians clash in West Bank village
SINJIL, Palestinian Territories: Dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians clashed Friday in the occupied West Bank village of Sinjil, where a march against recent settler attacks on nearby farmland was due to take place. AFP journalists saw local residents and activists begin their march before locals reported that settlers had appeared on a hill belonging to the village. Palestinian youths marched toward the hill to drive away the settlers, setting a fire at its base while the settlers threw rocks from the high ground. Local Palestinians told AFP that settlers also started a fire. Several Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene and soldiers fired a few shots in the air, causing Palestinians to withdraw back to the village. Anwar Al-Ghafri, a lawyer and member of Sinjil's city council, told AFP that such incidents are not new, but have intensified in recent days in the area, just north of the West Bank city of Ramallah. 'A group of settlers, with support and approval from the Israeli army, are carrying out organized attacks on citizens' land,' he told AFP. 'They assault farmers, destroy crops, and prevent people from reaching or trying to reach their land,' he said, describing the events that had prompted Friday's march. The settlers involved in Friday's clashes could not be reached for comment. Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the entire West Bank from north to south, and which both settlers and Palestinians use. Mohammad Asfour, a 52-year-old resident, told AFP that the fence was isolating his community, like other Palestinian cities and towns that recently had gates erected by Israel to control access to the outside. 'Sinjil is suffering greatly because of this wall. My house is near it, and so are my brothers' homes. The settler has the right to come to Sinjil — but the sons of Sinjil aren't allowed to climb up this hill,' Asfour said. Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since the Hamas attack of October 2023 triggered the Gaza war. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 947 Palestinians, including many militants, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.
Leaders
6 hours ago
- Leaders
US Strikes Set Back Iranian Nuclear Program by up to 2 Years: Pentagon
The Pentagon said that US strikes last month on Iranian nuclear facilities degraded Tehran's nuclear programme by up to two years, according to Reuters. 'We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the department assess that,' Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, said at a news briefing on Wednesday. Parnell also said that the US military campaign likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public. 'All of the intelligence that we've seen led us to believe that Iran's, those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated,' he added. US Strikes On June 22, the US became directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran after launching airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mr Rafael Grossi, revealed that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months. Grossi's remarks raised doubts over the effectiveness of the US military operation to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi unveiled that US strikes severely damaged the Fordow nuclear site. 'No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,' Mr Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on July 1. REUTERS Israel Iran Conflict On June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran under the name of Operation Rising Lion. The military campaign targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists. As a response, Iran launched a retaliatory wave of missiles against Israel and targeted Tel Aviv. Israel also killed several Iranian nuclear scientists in line with its goal to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. Crucially, Israel announced that it was hit by over 50 missiles during the 12-day war with Iran, resulting in 28 deaths. However, the real extent of the damage may never be known because of strict media restrictions. The Israeli airstrikes on Iran killed at least 627 people and injured approximately 4,900. Related Topics: Iranian FM Excludes Quick Restart of US-Iran Talks What We Know About the Iranian Nuclear Facilities Targeted in US Strikes Iranian Military Commanders Threaten US with Harsh Response Short link : Post Views: 10
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Israeli settlers, Palestinians clash in West Bank village
Dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians clashed Friday in the occupied West Bank village of Sinjil, where a march against recent settler attacks on nearby farmland was due to take place. AFP journalists saw local residents and activists begin their march before locals reported that settlers had appeared on a hill belonging to the village. Palestinian youths marched toward the hill to drive away the settlers, setting a fire at its base while the settlers threw rocks from the high ground. Local Palestinians told AFP that settlers also started a fire. Several Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene and soldiers fired a few shots in the air, causing Palestinians to withdraw back to the village. Anwar al-Ghafri, a lawyer and member of Sinjil's city council, told AFP that such incidents are not new, but have intensified in recent days in the area, just north of the West Bank city of Ramallah. 'A group of settlers, with support and approval from the Israeli army, are carrying out organized attacks on citizens' land,' he told AFP. 'They assault farmers, destroy crops, and prevent people from reaching or trying to reach their land,' he said, describing the events that had prompted Friday's march. The settlers involved in Friday's clashes could not be reached for comment. Fence erected Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the entire West Bank from north to south, and which both settlers and Palestinians use. Mohammad Asfour, a 52-year-old resident, told AFP that the fence was isolating his community, like other Palestinian cities and towns that recently had gates erected by Israel to control access to the outside. 'Sinjil is suffering greatly because of this wall. My house is near it, and so are my brothers' homes. The settler has the right to come to Sinjil -- but the sons of Sinjil aren't allowed to climb up this hill,' Asfour said. Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since the Hamas attack of October 2023 triggered the Gaza war. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 947 Palestinians, including many militants, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.
