Iran Cuts IAEA Ties Following US, Israeli Airstrikes On Sites/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Iran’s President orders suspension of cooperation with the IAEA after U.S. and Israeli strikes on key nuclear facilities. The move threatens nuclear inspections and raises fears of regional escalation. Tehran signals diplomacy remains possible but warns of conditions for future cooperation.
Quick Look
- Iran suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA
- Response follows US, Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities
- Diplomatic channels remain open, but tensions surge
Iran Orders Suspension of Cooperation with U.N. Nuclear Watchdog After Strikes on Atomic Sites
Deep Look
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday ordered the suspension of cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, escalating tensions after recent American and Israeli airstrikes on its key nuclear facilities. The move threatens to further limit international oversight of Tehran’s nuclear program, which has been enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels.
Pezeshkian’s order, announced on state television, provided no details or timeline for how the suspension will unfold. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that despite the decision, Tehran remains open to diplomacy, telling CBS News that negotiations with the United States could still be possible in the future.
“I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that,” Araghchi said, referring to President Trump’s recent claims that talks might resume within days. Still, he added, “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”
A Political Pressure Play
Iran has previously used restrictions on inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as leverage in negotiations with the West. But this latest decision comes amid heightened tensions following the 12-day Iran-Israel war, which has disrupted prospects for new dialogue between Tehran and Washington.
Iran’s parliament had passed legislation mandating the suspension of cooperation, and the bill swiftly cleared the constitutional Guardian Council. Under the law, cooperation with the IAEA is to be halted until Iran’s conditions—including guarantees for the security of its nuclear sites and scientists—are met.
“The government is mandated to immediately suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency under the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its related Safeguards Agreement,” state television reported, citing the legislation.
It’s still unclear how Iran plans to implement the suspension in practice. The IAEA, headquartered in Vienna, said it was awaiting formal communication from Tehran to clarify the decision’s scope and implications.
Israel Condemns Iran’s Decision
Israel reacted swiftly and angrily to Iran’s announcement. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the move in a post on X, calling it “a complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments.”
Saar urged European nations involved in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to trigger the agreement’s “snapback” mechanism, which would reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran if the Islamic Republic is found out of compliance.
Israel is widely considered the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East, though its nuclear facilities remain off-limits to the IAEA.
How Far Will Iran Go?
While Iran’s move raises alarm, it has not yet fully withdrawn from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), nor declared an explicit rush to develop nuclear weapons. Such a step would have been a worst-case scenario feared by nonproliferation experts.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67%, far below the 90% threshold required for weapons-grade material. The agreement also imposed significant limits on Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, restricted its use of advanced centrifuges, and subjected its nuclear program to enhanced IAEA monitoring.
However, then-President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement in 2018, arguing that it didn’t adequately address Iran’s ballistic missile program or regional activities. In response, Iran gradually ramped up its nuclear activities, enriching uranium up to 60% purity—a technical step away from weapons-grade material—and amassing enough stockpiled material to potentially produce several nuclear bombs, should it choose to do so.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program remains peaceful, but Western intelligence agencies and the IAEA have concluded that Tehran operated an organized nuclear weapons program until at least 2003.
Strikes on Nuclear Facilities Escalate Tensions
Iran’s suspension of cooperation follows a series of airstrikes by Israel, which began on June 13. Those strikes reportedly killed hundreds, including top commanders of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, and targeted Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities as well as critical nuclear sites.
Iran claims that the strikes killed 935 people, including 38 children and 102 women. However, independent figures from the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group put the death toll higher, at 1,190, including 436 civilians and 435 security personnel, with thousands more wounded.
U.S. forces also launched strikes on June 22, hitting three significant Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordo—a fortified facility built beneath a mountain roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran.
Satellite images captured by Planet Labs PBC and reviewed by The Associated Press show trucks, cranes, and excavation equipment at Fordo this week, suggesting Iranian officials are assessing damage from U.S. bunker-busting bombs. Imagery from Maxar Technologies corroborated the presence of recovery efforts underway at the facility.
Diplomatic Uncertainty
It remains uncertain whether Iran’s latest move will completely shut the door on diplomacy or merely signal a hardline bargaining stance.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterized the U.S. strikes and Iran’s response as pushing both sides closer to a settlement.
“The fewer weapons supplied to Iran’s adversaries, the closer the end of the war is,” Peskov said.
Meanwhile, Western powers, already alarmed by Iran’s accelerated nuclear advances, now face the prospect of even less visibility into Tehran’s activities.
As tensions simmer and Iran assesses the damage to its nuclear sites, the region remains on edge, with diplomatic channels strained but still faintly open.
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