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France 24
3 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Iran's thorny IAEA relations hit new low after Israeli, US strikes
The latest phase in Tehran's troubled relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) kicked off not long after Israel launched massive, unprecedented strikes on Iran on June 13, killing top Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. When EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas declared on X that bloc members 'agree' that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei fired a social media salvo. 'How can you express concern over Iran's peaceful program that is under the most robust IAEA's inspections and ignore the fact that the Israeli regime has a huge arsenal of #NuclearWeapons?!' Baqaei posted on X. As a signatory to the UN's nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran is required to accept IAEA inspections. Israel is exempt from nuclear inspections since it's one of only five countries not party to the NPT. While Israel neither confirms nor denies that it possesses nuclear arms, the country is estimated to have at least 80 nuclear weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It's an old source of grievance among hardliners in the Islamic Republic, and it picked up steam as Israeli bombardments continued. By June 19, Baqaei had IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in his sights. 'You turned IAEA into a tool of convenience for non-NPT members to deprive NPT members of their basic right under Article 4,' the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman told Grossi on X, referring to the treaty's enshrined right to peaceful nuclear activities. The anti-IAEA rhetoric was put into action this week when the Iranian parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. The next morning, Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, approved the parliamentary vote. By the end of the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted on state TV that the suspension was "binding" following the Guardian Council approval and added that there was 'no doubt about its implementation'. 'Double standards' of a shah-era treaty Iran's decision to suspend cooperation with the IAEA was a regrettable, but not surprising development for diplomats and experts who have worked on the issue for decades. 'It has always been part of the tactics to stop, to interrupt, and to resume the cooperation with the IAEA,' said Jacques Audibert, a diplomat and former negotiator for France on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. 'Today, they have obvious reasons, because their facilities are supposed to be obliterated. I can imagine that politically it's difficult for them.' 'They've suspended. It's not a withdrawal. And while they're talking about withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, they haven't done so. Even so, the suspension of the inspections and of the relationship with the IAEA is going to fuel the narrative that Iran intends to build a weapon,' noted James Dorsey, senior fellow at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and host of the popular podcast, 'The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer'. Iran signed the NPT in 1968, during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was ousted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. For over four decades, the Islamic Republic authorities have railed against the 'double standards' that oblige the country to comply with inspection requirements of a shah-era treaty while Israel goes scot-free, developing nuclear weapons without fear of sanctions or Western disfavour. But Iran, unlike North Korea, has never withdrawn from the landmark UN treaty, fearing a devastating response from Israel, or worse, the USA. That deterrence collapsed this month, with the 12-day war killing at least 627 Iranians and wounding nearly 4,900, according to official figures. Human rights groups say the Iranian death toll exceeds 1,000. Meanwhile Iran's retaliatory strikes on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli authorities. While US President Donald Trump announced a 'ceasefire' on Monday, Iran has never used the term, describing the cessation of hostilities as a 'halting of retaliatory strikes' against Israel. At a NATO summit in The Hague this week, Trump compared the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities to the 1945 US nuclear attacks on Japan. "When you look at Hiroshima, if you look at Nagasaki, that ended a war, too," Trump said. "This ended a war in a different way." Experts, however, are not at all sure that Trump's touted end of hostilities will hold. 'I think the reason why the United States is insisting on saying, we've done it, we're finished, is that Trump does not want to be drawn into a longer war,' said Dorsey. Playing the long game Trump may be blindsided by the short term, but Iran has a history of playing the long game by adopting a cat-and-mouse strategy with the IAEA. In 2018, when Trump, under his first presidency, withdrew the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also called the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Tehran waited for a year for Washington to come back to the deal before announcing its partial withdrawal in May 2019. Two years later, Tehran halted its implementation of the Additional Protocol stipulated in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which permitted the IAEA enhanced inspection rights – including snap inspections and continuous surveillance. Iran, however, continued to comply with IAEA's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement after 2021, which permitted access to Iran's declared nuclear sites, until the Israeli strikes this month cut off access to the country. 'Iran adhered to the 2015 international agreement into 2019. When that didn't persuade the Americans to return to the agreement, they progressively started to abandon adherence to various provisions, including the limit on uranium enrichment,' said Dorsey. 'The original reason for enriching to 60% was to pressure the United States to return to the agreement. Circumstances have since changed.' Following the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, attention has focused on the infamous 408.6 kg of uranium enriched up to 60% that the IAEA in May declared the regime had amassed. Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed US media for reporting initial intelligence assessments that the strikes only succeeded in pushing back Iran's nuclear program by mere months. They insist the US-Israeli strikes have 'obliterated' and 'decimated' Iran's nuclear capacity. While some Iranian officials admitted the country's nuclear facilities have been heavily damaged, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday insisted that Tehran's enemies 'did not achieve anything from this war. They attacked our nuclear facilities, but they were unable to do anything important.' Audibert is dismissive of the claims and counterclaims on both sides. 'We are in a posturing phase, which is not taking reality into account,' he noted. 'What Khamenei said has no link with reality. He said it's a big victory [for Iran], that Israel almost collapsed, and that Iran slapped the United States in the face. This doesn't make sense. On the other hand, the US defence secretary is trying to explain to everybody that it has been a full success. I'm not putting the two on the same level, but it's the same posturing phase.' Providing a 'pretext' for Israel's 'unlawful attack' For the facts to be established, evidence must be gathered on the ground. While the war on Iran raged for 12 days, the IAEA deemed it impossible to assess the damage to nuclear sites and material on the ground since the UN agency 'lost visibility [on enriched uranium stocks] from the moment hostilities began", Grossi told French TV station France 2 on Wednesday. 'During a war, we cannot inspect, we cannot move. But as soon as hostilities stopped, and especially given the sensitivity surrounding this material, I believe it is in everyone's interest that we resume our activities as soon as possible,' said Grossi. The IAEA chief also slammed Iran's decision to suspend cooperation with the UN watchdog agency. 'Iran's cooperation with us is not a favour, it is a legal obligation as long as Iran remains a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,' he noted. But Tehran is particularly piqued with the UN nuclear agency after the IAEA board passed a resolution on June 12 declaring that Iran was breaching its non-proliferation obligations. The next day, Israel launched its attacks on Iran. While Israel did not mention the IAEA resolution, US Vice President JD Vance cited the IAEA resolution to make a case for the military action against Iran. In the initial days of the war, Grossi took to the airwaves to repeatedly explain that the IAEA had not assessed that Tehran was building a nuclear weapon. But Grossi's clarifications failed to mollify Iranian authorities. 'This is too late, Mr. Grossi. You obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report,' Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Baqaei said in a post on X, excoriating the IAEA for providing a 'pretext' for Israel's 'unlawful attack on our peaceful nuclear facilities'. On Friday night, amid mounting pressure to establish the facts on the ground, Iran once again slammed Grossi, rejecting his request to visit its nuclear sites. "Grossi's insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent," Araghchi said on X. "Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty." Russia wants Iran-IAEA cooperation But apart from its fiery rhetoric, Iran has very little room for maneouvre in its dealings with the IAEA at the UN Security Council. In the event of non-cooperation, such as refusal of access, concealment of materials, or failure to provide justification for the presence of uranium, the IAEA has the right to refer the matter to the UN Security Council, which could result in sanctions, increased diplomatic pressure, or calls for the resumption of negotiations. On the nuclear issue, Iran is isolated at the top rung of the top UN body, with the five veto-holding permanent Security Council members keen to see Tehran back under inspections. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday spoke out against Iran suspending cooperation with the IAEA. "We are interested in continuing cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, so that everybody respects Iran's repeated statements that Iran does not have and will not have plans to develop a nuclear weapon," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow. During the recent war, Iran's closest allies, Russia and China, provided rhetorical, but very little concrete support for Iran. Both Russia and China are nuclear powers and permanent UN Security Council members with little appetite to handle a nuclear armed Iran further destabilising the Middle East powder keg region. Withdrawing from the NPT risks further isolation since a UN Security Council resolution could see sanctions that add further burdens to Iran's long-suffering population. 'Suspending inspections is a violation [of the NPT],' said Dorsey. 'This is not a free membership, you sign up to obligations and those obligations include the degree of enrichment and they include inspections.' While some members of the international community may understand Iran's position in the immediate aftermath of the devastating Israeli and US strikes, there will be pressure on Iran to fall in line with its nuclear commitments. 'If Iran does not comply, it's going to be interpreted as retaining the freedom to develop a weapon,' said Dorsey. 'Iran is a country that has been sanctioned for much of the existence of the Islamic Republic since 1979. Let's be clear about it, in that sense, Iran is its own worst enemy.'
11 hours ago
- Politics
Israel-Iran live updates: Senate rejects war powers resolution limiting Trump
6 Updates Jun 26, 2025, 4:41 PM EDT Israel says it did not destroy all enriched uranium in Iran, tried to assassinate Khamenei Israel did not destroy all of Iran's highly enriched uranium and tried to kill Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during its operation, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in an interview to Channel 13 on Thursday evening. When asked about the 408 kilograms of highly enriched uranium the Iranians had before the war and if it was moved inside Iran or taken out of the country, Katz said, "It was clear from the outset of our attack that we would not eliminate all of the material. The shared U.S.-Israeli position is that the Iranians will be asked to hand over that material." Israel tried during the war with Iran to assassinate Khamanei, but there was "no operational opportunity to do so," Katz said. He laughed off the suggestion Israel would need "permission" from the U.S. He denied it was "forbidden" by the U.S. Iran still evaluating if and how they will continue work with IAEA, remain in NPT, Iranian FM says Iran is still evaluating if and how they will work with the International Atomic Energy Agency in light of a new bill passed in Iran's Parliament Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Iranian state TV Thursday. Whether or not Iran will stay in the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, also known as the NPT, needs to be investigated, Araghchi said. Iran will "act accordingly with the interest of the country," he added. One of the reasons Iran cannot maintain the same relationship with the IAEA as it had before the 12-day war is because the IAEA did not condemn Israel and the US's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, he said. "The IAEA Director-General should have done this," referring to condemning Israel and the U.S.'s attacks on Iran's' nuclear facilities, Araghchi said. 'Attacking nuclear facilities is an unforgivable crime from international law." Araghchi said the law passed by Iran's Parliament will be further investigated by the Iranian government and said the new law hasn't completely blocked a path for cooperation with the IAEA. "We need to perform more legal work on this law and decide how we can set our relations with the IAEA," Araghchi said. The IAEA inspections have stopped inside Iran, Araghchi said. Jun 26, 2025, 3:42 PM EDT Iran has not reached an agreement to resume negotiations with the US, Iranian FM says Iran has not reached an agreement to return to negotiations with the U.S. on its nuclear program and no date for a potential meeting to re-start the negotiations has been set, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Iranian state TV Thursday. Araghchi said speculation about negotiations resuming should not be taken seriously. "I would like to state clearly that no agreement, appointment or conversation has been made to start new negotiations," Araghchi said. Araghchi also said the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will only be more difficult after the U.S. and Israel's military actions. "The next negotiations won't be any easier for the Americans compared to the previous ones," Araghchi said. "Human beings have been killed for it. It's not possible to make an agreement on it as easy as before." Jun 26, 2025, 2:45 PM EDT Iran will not change its position on nuclear program, foreign ministry says Iran will not change its position regarding its nuclear program despite the military action taken by the U.S. and Israel, Esmaeil Baghaei, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told Iranian state media on Thursday. "We have shown that pressure, intimidation, threats, and even the use of naked force against a sovereign state, in violation of all international standards and norms, cannot undermine our rights. Our rights remain intact," Baghaei told IRNA in a lengthy interview published Thursday. Baghaei also addressed accusations that Iran was looking to prolong the negotiations with the U.S. that had been scheduled to take place in Oman before Israel attacked. "All of these cases show that the American side was not serious about the negotiations from the beginning. But this does not diminish the value of the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In my opinion, Iran's entry into these negotiations truly exposed the hypocrisy and lies of the other side," Baghaei said. "History will record that in the midst of a diplomatic process between Iran and a party that considers itself a global power, Iran's logic prevailed, and they failed to meet this logic. For this reason, they encouraged and supported their proxy in the region to attack Iran," Baghaei added. On the calls to resume negotiations with the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program, Baghaei said, "First, we never trusted the other side. Because sometimes some words are used, such as 'the recent incident caused trust between Iran and America to decrease' or 'to disappear,' while we basically never trusted [them]. One of the reasons for this is the events that we are witnessing now. We were talking to the other side in an atmosphere of absolute distrust. The reason for this distrust is their history of breaking promises." -ABC News' Othon Leyva
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hanoi's growing role in nuclear diplomacy is a sign of multilateral trust
In a development that may not have made headlines but carries significant diplomatic weight, Vietnam has been nominated to preside over the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) set for 2026. At first glance, this might seem like a routine appointment within the well-worn cycles of international diplomacy. However, at a moment when nuclear anxieties are re-emerging – not least due to Iran's relatively opaque atomic activities – the selection signals a subtle but powerful shift: Vietnam is no longer just a capable regional actor, but a country the international community trusts to navigate the treacherous waters of global nuclear governance. This elevation comes as the spectre of nuclear proliferation once again casts a long shadow over international security. Iran's enrichment capabilities have rekindled fears of a destabilised Middle East, prompting urgent calls for credible diplomatic frameworks. In that context, Vietnam's appointment reflects a collective bet that a nation with no nuclear ambitions – and a history of balancing great power relations – can help restore confidence in a non-proliferation regime under mounting strain. The NPT review conferences are not mere ceremonial gatherings. These are high-stakes diplomatic arenas where nuclear and non-nuclear states negotiate the fragile balance between deterrence and disarmament, peaceful nuclear cooperation and proliferation risks. Presiding over such a conference demands neutrality, negotiation skills and a reputation for constructive engagement. Vietnam's nomination, therefore, is a geopolitical endorsement. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, on June 9. Photo: Reuters
LeMonde
a day ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Macron says 'worst-case scenario' if Iran exits nuclear non-proliferation treaty
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, June 26, that US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were "genuinely effective" but the "worst-case scenario" would be if Tehran now quits the global non-proliferation treaty. "The worst would be that the consequence of this is Iran's exit from the non-proliferation treaty and therefore, ultimately, a drift and a collective weakening," Macron told journalists after an EU summit in Brussels. Macron said that in a bid to maintain the treaty – that is meant to limit the spread of nuclear weapons – he would speak in the coming days to the five members of the United Nations Security Council. Those talks already kicked off with a call with President Donald Trump on Thursday in which Macron said he informed his US counterparts of contacts Paris had with Tehran in "the last few days and hours." "Our hope is that there will be a real convergence of views," Macron said, adding that the aim was "that there should be no resumption" of nuclear buildup by Iran. Iran ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1970, committing it to declare its nuclear material to the International Atomic Energy Agency. But it has recently begun preparing the grounds for a possible withdrawal from the treaty, accusing the agency of acting as a "partner" in Israel's "war of aggression." American B-2 bombers hit two Iranian nuclear sites with massive GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs last weekend, while a guided missile submarine struck a third site with Tomahawk cruise missiles. Trump himself has called the strikes a "spectacular military success" and repeatedly said they "obliterated" the nuclear sites. But US media revealed a preliminary American intelligence assessment earlier this week that said the strikes only set back Iran's nuclear program by months – coverage sharply criticized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others.
United News of India
a day ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Iranian FM admits US-Israel strikes caused ‘serious damage' to its nuclear sites
Tehran, June 27 (UNI) Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday acknowledged that US and Israeli strikes had done "serious harm" to its nuclear sites, directly contradicting the stance of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the country's paramilitary group, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). "This damage has not been minor — serious harm has been done to our facilities. They are currently conducting a thorough assessment of the damage," he said in an interview with the state broadcaster IRIB News, referring to Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, reports Iran International. Khamenei had earlier boasted that Iran had dealt a 'crushing blow' to the Israeli Defence Forces, and said that the US airstrikes on June 22 did very minimal damage to its nuclear facilities, a stance maintained by the IRGC's top commanders, though the statement was staunchly rebuked and mocked by Jerusalem. Araghchi added that Tehran would not allow the UN nuclear watchdog chief Raphael Grossi into the country as the parliament considers exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which mandates inspections. "For now, we do not intend to allow Mr Grossi into Tehran. As for the inspectors, it still needs to be reviewed — if their presence aligns with parliamentary law, we'll consider it. But clearly, if they want to inspect the destroyed facilities, it means they're trying to assess the extent of the damage." He further accused Israel and the US of starting a war with the country, even though Tehran was willing to come to the negotiating table regarding its nuclear programme. The primary interlocutor behind the Iran-US talks in the last two months, which ended with Israel's surprise attack earlier this month, the FM further warned against the triggering of United Nations "snapback" sanctions. "Iran's nuclear issue will become far more complex and difficult if the snapback mechanism is triggered — just as they made things more complicated by launching a war," Araghchi added, signalling a hard line on reviving talks or making a nuclear deal. "They thought they could destroy our nuclear facilities, leave us empty-handed at the negotiating table, and then say, 'Come, let's negotiate.' That didn't happen.'" UNI ANV PRS
