On Wednesday morning, the Iranian parliament approved a law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following the war with Israel and recent U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. After the vote, members of parliament chanted, “Death to America! Death to Israel!”
Death chants to the US and Israel in Iranian Parliament
The law must still receive final approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to take effect. It stipulates that any future IAEA oversight of Iran’s nuclear facilities will require the council’s authorization.
Earlier this week, the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee approved the framework of the bill. The committee's spokesperson stated the law would suspend camera installations at nuclear sites, inspections, and the submission of reports to the IAEA. Tehran believes the IAEA’s recent declaration—that Iran is not meeting its nuclear obligations—paved the way for Israeli strikes. It was the agency’s first such statement in two decades.
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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, claimed the IAEA “sold its international credibility” by refusing to condemn the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites. “For this reason,” he said, “Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization will suspend its cooperation with the agency until the security of our nuclear facilities is guaranteed and Iran’s peaceful nuclear program can advance more quickly.”
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi responded Wednesday, saying his top priority is to return inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to assess the extent of damage caused by the attacks and review the enriched uranium stockpile. “That’s at the top of our agenda,” Grossi said.
Asked whether Iran had informed the agency of the status of its enriched uranium—especially uranium enriched to 60%, a level close to weapons-grade—Grossi said Iran had sent a letter on June 13, after the Israeli attack began, stating it would take “special measures” to protect its nuclear program. However, the letter did not specify what those measures would be. Grossi added that he believes a significant portion of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile survived the Israeli and U.S. strikes.