Iran Bans Entry of IAEA Inspectors
Iran has promulgated a law that temporarily suspends cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a United Nations agency.
On July 2 (local time), Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian had promulgated a law temporarily suspending cooperation with the IAEA.
This law, which was passed by parliament on June 25, is a response to Israel and the United States bombing Iran's nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The core of the law is that IAEA inspectors will not be allowed to enter Iran until the safety of Iran's nuclear facilities and peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed. The determination of whether 'safety is guaranteed' is to be made by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) based on a report from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
At the time the bill was passed, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament, stated, "The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of nuclear facilities is guaranteed and Iran's peaceful nuclear program can proceed at a faster pace."
He also criticized, "The IAEA's international credibility has hit rock bottom, as it has even refused to issue a formal condemnation of the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities."
The IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution on June 12, one day before Israel bombed Iran, stating that Iran had failed to fulfill its nuclear inspection and verification obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
After this IAEA resolution, Iran claimed that, since Israel had carried out a preemptive strike on Iran, the IAEA had intentionally provided justification for the attack.
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