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Iran suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog

Iran suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog

Iraqi Newsa day ago
Tehran – Iran on Wednesday formally suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, a measure drawn up in the wake of unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on the Islamic republic's nuclear sites.
The war between Iran and Israel, 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.
State media said on Wednesday that the legislation had cleared the final hurdle and was in effect.
The text, published by Iranian media, states that the legislation aims to 'ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran' under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and 'especially uranium enrichment'.
The issue of enrichment was at the core of disagreements between Washington and Tehran in nuclear negotiations that had been derailed by the war.
Israel and some Western countries had for long accused Iran of seeking to quire nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.
The text of the law did not specify concrete moves linked to the suspension of cooperation with the IAEA, whose inspectors have had access to declared nuclear facilities.
Following the parliament vote, the bill was 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.
– 'Deceptive and fraudulent' –
Tehran has also lambasted the UN 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.
On Wednesday, senior judiciary official Ali Mozaffari said that IAEA director Rafael Grossi should 'be held accountable' for what he called 'preparing the groundwork for the crime' against Iran, referring to Israel's air raids.
Mozaffari accused Grossi of 'deceptive actions and fraudulent reporting', according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.
Iran has rejected a request from Grossi to visit nuclear facilities bombed during the war, and earlier this week Pezeshkian decried his 'destructive' conduct.
Iran has said Grossi's request to visit the bombarded sites signalled 'malign intent' but insisted there were no threats against him or against inspectors from his agency.
France, Germany and Britain have condemned unspecified 'threats' against the IAEA chief.
Iran's ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper has recently claimed that documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.
– Damage –
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the parliament vote to halt cooperation with the IAEA reflected the 'concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion'.
The 12-day war began when Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran and killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, with Tehran responding with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israel.
On June 22, Israel's ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.
More than 900 people were killed in Iran, according to the judiciary.
Iran's retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities.
US President Donald Trump said the US attacks had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear programme, though the extent of the damage was not clear.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has admitted 'serious' damage to nuclear sites.
But in a recent interview with CBS Evening News, he said: 'One cannot obliterate the technology and science… through bombings.'
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It should be noted that the IUMS, which is headquartered in Doha, is one of the tools of the Qatari regime to disseminate extremist anti-Western Islamist ideology, and routinely incites jihad, terrorism and antisemitism.[1] Abderrazak Makri with Hamas senior officials Khalil Al-Hayya, Isma'il Haniya, Hussam Badran and Muhammad Nazzal (Image: March 17, 2023) The following are translated excerpts from Makri's article:[2] '...Anyone who examines the unfolding of the Iranian-Zionist war in depth easily understands that it is fateful not only for the [Zionist] entity but also for Iran, Palestine, the entire Islamic nation and even the whole world. Some of the leaders of the resistance and of the Islamic stream know that I was not among those who were surprised by the Al-Aqsa Flood [i.e., Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel], since a week before it happened I already described it to them accurately and advocated for it, without naming it and without knowing what exactly would happen... I used to tell them that the [Islamic] nation and its reformist movements had already lost everything in their cultural project, that all the Palestinian issues were headed for perdition and that the revival movements were out of action… Therefore, [I said], there was need for a complete overhaul in order to rebuild the balances [of power]. This would only be achieved by means of an unprecedented resistance operation in Palestine that would thwart the plans to eliminate the [Palestinian] cause, mobilize the Arab and Islamic world, revive the project of cultural awakening, and undermine the oppressive American-Western hegemony… 'The Iranian-Zionist war is the result of the [Al-Aqsa] Flood and its repercussions, as are the events in Syria, the deep shifts taking place in global public opinion, and the political, ideological and social changes in the world, as well as the inconceivable steadfastness of the Gazan people and the remarkable heroic acts of the resistance. 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[These elites] will be even harsher toward the Arabs and Muslims and toward Palestine than the Arab regimes which have betrayed Allah, His Messenger and the believers, and which are participating in the siege on Gaza and in the conspiracy against the resistance. "Cooperation and mutual support among Muslims is a religious duty that no heretical sectarian inclinations can override. The Shi'ites in Iran are Muslims according to all religious scholars, and the extremist Shi'ites who have rebelled against the faith should be disregarded, [for] they are a minority, just like the minority of extremist Sunni apostates among us. The Iranian injustice and aggression that harmed our brothers in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are political crimes, similar to those that have been committed throughout history by all [Islamic] streams, and like those being committed in our modern era by tyrannical Sunni rulers. Both use religion and sectarianism for political purposes. 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