Iran’s parliament votes to suspend cooperation with IAEA

Iran’s Parliament has voted to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), escalating tensions over the country’s nuclear program.

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, parliamentary members approved a plan to halt collaboration with the IAEA. No members opposed the proposal, which was reported by BBC.

Earlier, Iran’s Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission had drafted a resolution instructing the government to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA. The commission criticized the agency’s recent report, describing it as a pretext for attacking Iran.

Under the new plan, activities such as installing surveillance cameras, inspections, and submitting reports to the agency will be suspended unless Iran’s nuclear facilities’ security is guaranteed.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, emphasized that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and accused the IAEA of failing to fulfill its duties, becoming “a political tool.”

The IAEA’s latest report criticized Iran for a lack of cooperation, highlighting unresolved questions regarding undeclared nuclear sites and expressing concern over Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

This parliamentary move is likely to heighten tensions with international nuclear bodies and raise concerns over the transparency of Iran’s nuclear program and its implications for regional and global security.

Last week, the United States launched attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities, including an airstrike on the Fordow nuclear site using an advanced B-2 stealth bomber. However, US intelligence assessments indicate that key components of Iran’s nuclear program were not destroyed.

According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the attacks only delayed Iran’s nuclear activities by several months. Sources familiar with the assessment revealed that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile remains intact, and most nuclear centrifuges were undamaged.

This suggests that the US was unable to significantly cripple Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, merely postponing its progress by a short period.