Iran Halts All Collaboration with IAEA Amid U.S. and Israeli Air Attacks
The current president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, on July 3, instructed his nation to temporarily cease all collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following the aerial bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites by the United States. This military action was coupled with an aggressive Israeli air campaign against Iran.
The upcoming discussions between Iranian officials and the IAEA are anticipated to be notably intricate and technical in their nature, as declared by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. This announcement surfaces in the lead-up to a significant visit by representatives of the nuclear supervisory body. This encounter marks the inaugural meeting following Iran’s decision to dissolve its connection with the IAEA in the past month.
The rapport between Iran and the IAEA deteriorated following a 12-day conflict engaged in the air by Israel and the United States in June. This confrontation resulted in the strategic bombardment of crucial Iranian nuclear establishments. In aftermath of these incidents, Iran’s non-proliferation commitments were deemed to be violated by the IAEA board, which promulgated this conclusion on June 12, one day prior to the commencement of Israel’s air raids over Iran.
The ongoing conflict with Israel prompted the aerial strikes which consequently led to a larger-scale war. The IAEA, however, did not immediately release any commentary concerning the impending visit by the agency’s deputy chief, and no scheduled provisions to visit Iranian nuclear sites were mentioned.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, shed some light on the possibility of a meeting with Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, acknowledging the complexity of the upcoming dialogues. Baghaei indicated that it was premature to speculate on the outcomes of the tightly technical and challenging talks.
Baghaei didn’t shy away from expressing his criticisms toward the IAEA’s handling of the situation during the June conflict with Israel. He pinpointed how under the watchful eyes of the agency, the infrastructure of a nation was targeted, and the agency held back from appropriately condemning the action.
He stated, ‘Our peaceful installations that were under tight surveillance were the victims of air raids, and the agency held back from demonstrating a level-headed and logical response, failing to denounce it as they should have.’.
Previously, Aragchi commented on the obligatory cooperation with the IAEA, which would now necessitate endorsement from Iran’s premier security entity, the Supreme National Security Council. The accord was envisioned to reformulate the cooperation dynamics between the two entities.
This move would likely put further constraints on the inspectors’ capacity to monitor Tehran’s program, which had previously been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
On July 3, President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered an order for Iran to halt its cooperation with the IAEA, after the US’s airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites. These incidents coincided with an acute air conflict between Israel and Iran, resulting in the casualty of almost 1,100 individuals, inclusive of several high-ranking military officials. Israel was not exempt from the confrontations, with 28 fatalities reported as a result of counterattacks executed by Iran.
Iran has occasionally proved its ability to leverage IAEA inspections as a negotiation strategy when dealing with the West. However, it remains unclear when the dialogues between Tehran and Washington regarding the nuclear program deal will recommence.
According to assessments carried out by the U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA, Iran supposedly operated an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003. Although there hasn’t been evidence of an explicit weapons program in recent times, the fact that Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60% is deemed significant. This level is narrowly technical and only a step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.