International Desk(National Times)- Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has granted a final approval to a law to suspend cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), state media said on Wednesday. “Masoud Pezeshkian promulgated the law suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” state TV said, meaning the measure drawn up in the aftermath of the Iran-Israel war last month is now in effect. The development comes after Iran’s parliament approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, following an air war with Israel in which Iran’s longtime enemy said it wanted to prevent Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.The law stipulates that any future inspection by the IAEA would need approval by the Supreme National Security Council. Last week, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was quoted by state media as also saying Iran would accelerate its civilian nuclear programme. Tehran has denied seeking nuclear weapons and said that an IAEA resolution earlier in June declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations paved the way for Israel’s attacks. Qalibaf was quoted as saying that the IAEA had refused even to appear to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and “has put its international credibility up for sale.” He said that “for this reason, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran will suspend its cooperation with the Agency until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed, and move at a faster pace with the country’s peaceful nuclear programme.”
Seriously damaged nuclear sites
The US bombing of Iran’s key Fordow nuclear site “seriously and heavily damaged” the facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with CBS News. “No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Araghchi said in the interview broadcast on Tuesday. “The Atomic Energy Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran… is currently undertaking evaluation and assessment, the report of which will be submitted to the government.” Intercepted Iranian communications downplayed the extent of damage caused by US strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing four people familiar with classified intelligence circulating within the US government. US President Donald Trump has said the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme, but US officials acknowledge it will take time to form a complete assessment of the damage caused by the US military strikes.
