"Unacceptable": US After Iran Halts Deal With UN Nuclear Watchdog

NDTV

a day ago

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has signed a new law halting his country's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The step has drawn criticism from the US.
Pezeshkian's decision follows a parliamentary vote last week approving the law, which Iranian officials claim is a direct response to alleged IAEA collaboration with Israel.
Tehran has accused the UN nuclear watchdog of enabling Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, an allegation the IAEA firmly denies. State media outlet IRNA reported that Pezeshkian has ordered Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, the Supreme National Security Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin implementing the law.
Reacting to the development, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Wednesday, "It is unacceptable that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity."
"Iran must cooperate fully, without further delay," she said.
Tensions have surged in recent weeks following US and Israeli airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. President Trump claimed the strikes caused " total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iranian officials have acknowledged serious damage, though international inspectors have yet to be granted access to fully assess the situation.
In the wake of the strikes, Iran's foreign ministry warned that it was "unrealistic" for the IAEA to expect a return to normal cooperation and that the safety of nuclear inspectors could not be guaranteed.
Tammy Bruce added, "Prior to the United States' successful military operation, Iran was amassing a growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium for which there was no credible peaceful purpose, and it was the only state producing highly enriched uranium, up to 60 per cent, that does not have nuclear weapons."
She said it was important for Tehran to fulfil its obligations. "Iran must fully comply with its safeguards agreement required under the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), including by providing the IAEA with information required to clarify and resolve long-standing questions regarding undeclared nuclear material in Iran, as well as provide unrestricted access to its newly announced enrichment facility."
"Iran cannot and will not have a nuclear weapon," she concluded. "We look forward to further detailed reporting from the IAEA about this. It is worth repeating, as we've made tremendous strides in this through Donald Trump's leadership."
The IAEA has played a central role in monitoring Iran's nuclear activities since the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which Iran agreed to cap uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. Since the US withdrawal from the deal in 2018, Iran has steadily reduced cooperation.
Despite limited access, the agency has continued to negotiate for inspections, investigate the origin of uranium traces at undeclared sites, and push for the restoration of monitoring equipment.