Iran has barred 38 inspectors from the UN Nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), from entering the country, an Iranian politician was quoted by Iran’s ISNA news agency on Monday as saying.
The agency said the move was a “first step” in limiting cooperation with the IAEA, in line with a demand made by parliament after UN Sanctions were imposed on Iran a month ago over its disputed nuclear program.
IAEA inspectors make routine checks of Iran’s nuclear sites. Last year Iran, retaliating for growing Western pressure on it to halt nuclear activity, temporarily denied visas to some inspectors and curtailed the frequency of visits to facilities by inspectors already in the country.
The West accuses Iran of seeking to build atom bombs, while Tehran insists it aims to generate electricity.
“Iran has decided not to give entry permission to 38 inspectors from the IAEA and has announced this limitation to the IAEA officially,” the head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs and National Security Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said.
“The nationality of those who were barred is not the main basis for us,” he told ISNA, without giving any further details.
Iranian government officials were not immediately available for comment. They had said earlier Tehran would continue basic cooperation with IAEA inspections and had no intention to quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty over the new sanctions.
EU sets tough line on sanctions
EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to apply UN sanctions on Iran “in full and without delay” and if necessary go further than a UN list in targeting those linked to Tehran’s nuclear work.
The EU move is the latest step by the West to ratchet up pressure on Iran to halt uranium enrichment after US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice was quoted at the weekend as warning companies of the risks of doing business with Iran.
Tehran maintains that its nuclear ambitions are limited to generating electricity. The European Union and the United States suspect Tehran is secretly seeking to build nuclear bombs.