Iran passes bill to sever ties with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA

Iran's parliament has voted in favor of cutting ties with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), amid concerns over its alleged role in politicising Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran accused the IAEA of fueling international suspicion and controversy around Tehran’s nuclear activities by claiming non-compliance in a resolution pushed by European countries and supported by the United States.

According to the newly passed bill, the IAEA will now be required to obtain prior approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council before visiting any nuclear facilities. The legislation also mandates that the agency must ensure the protection and confidentiality of Iran’s entire nuclear program.

In June, the IAEA reported that Iran had breached its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused the IAEA of concealing vital information regarding its nuclear program.

“This is too late, Mr. Grossi: you obscured this truth in your absolutely biased report that was instrumentalized by E3/US to craft a resolution with baseless allegation of 'non-compliance,’” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on his official X account. 

Read: IAEA chief warns strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant would create disaster

“The same resolution was then utilised, as a final pretext, by a genocidal warmongering regime to wage a war of aggression on Iran and to launch an unlawful attack on our peaceful nuclear facilities,” Baqaei said, in reference to Israel.

The Iranian government said on Tuesday that it had taken the necessary steps to ensure the continuity of its nuclear program even after the United States and Israel targeted its nuclear facilities.

According to the AFP news agency, Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said in a statement broadcast on state television that “we have taken the necessary steps and are assessing the damage caused by the attacks.”

He added that “plans for reactivating the facilities were prepared in advance, and our strategy is to ensure that there is no disruption to production and services.”