Iran moves to suspend cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog

Iran’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to suspend the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), less than a day into a tenuous ceasefire with Israel following 12 days of deadly war.

The bill, passed with 221 votes in favor, none against, and one abstention out of 223 members present, would bar the UN nuclear watchdog’s inspectors from accessing Iran’s nuclear facilities. The legislation must now be ratified by the Supreme National Security Council. 

IAEA access blocked unless 'security guaranteed'

Parliamentary presidium member Alireza Salimi said the bill prohibits IAEA inspectors from entering Iran unless the safety of Iran’s nuclear facilities and peaceful activities is “guaranteed”—a determination that would fall to the Supreme National Security Council.

The legislation’s conditions for resuming cooperation with the IAEA include, full assurance of Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, guarantees of Iran’s right to uranium enrichment under Article 4 of the nuclear Non-ProliferationTreaty (NPT), confirmation that the UN Security Council will not trigger the “snapback” mechanism under Resolution 2231.

The bill further criminalizes any act of allowing IAEA inspectors into the country without such guarantees and applies to both safeguards and additional protocol cooperation.

Parliament also voted to impose penalties on officials permitting unauthorized access.

“This legislation is a response to attacks on our sovereignty and peaceful nuclear infrastructure by the Zionist regime and the United States,” Salimi said.

Tehran says it does not seek nuclear weapons and suggests a resolution adopted this month by the IAEA declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations paved the way for Israel's attacks.

The move comes amid a halt in fighting between Iran and Israel, after 12 days of missile and drone attacks that saw unprecedented strikes on Israeli cities and Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure.

No peace, only pause

While the guns have fallen silent for now, Iranian lawmakers stressed that the current calm does not constitute a ceasefire agreement, calling it "only a pause in attacks.”

During a meeting of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, spokesperson Ebrahim Rezai said, “We have not entered a truce. There is no peace. If the Zionist regime commits another act of aggression, we will respond with greater force.”

According to Rezaei, Iran received the request to halt fire indirectly from the United States through a third-party regional intermediary.

Rezai also said that Iran has the legal right under Article 10 of the NPT and Article 60 of the 1969 Vienna Convention to suspend cooperation with the IAEA due to “attacks on the peaceful nuclear infrastructure” by Israel and the US.

Lawmakers accuse IAEA of espionage and bias

Parliament members criticized the IAEA and its Director General Rafael Grossi, accusing the agency of providing “false reports,” politically biased behavior, and facilitating espionage against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Rezai said there are plans to file formal complaints against IAEA officials for alleged misconduct and spying.

Lawmakers also called for international legal action against Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging war crimes proceedings and demands for reparations.

Ali Khezrian, a key proponent of the bill, accused the US, European powers, and the IAEA of exploiting Iran’s transparency to enable military targeting of its facilities.

“They have weaponized technical reports and paved the way for Israel's acts of sabotage,” he said.

Khezrian argued that Iran’s nuclear cooperation had consistently exceeded legal obligations, and accused Western powers of demanding Iran cease uranium enrichment entirely — a right enshrined under Article 4 of the NPT. “They attack our nuclear sites and then ask to inspect the damage. How can we trust such a system?” he said.

Iran has had a fractious relationship with the UN watchdog, barring a third of its inspectors two years ago, calling the organization politically motivated. In another move in 2022, Iran removed several of the agency's monitoring cameras.

Iran to accelerate nuclear program

Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in a fiery speech before the vote, praised the armed forces and warned the West not to underestimate Iran’s capabilities.

“We remain fully armed and ready to retaliate. Our peaceful nuclear program will now advance even faster,” he said.

Ghalibaf added that Iran’s missile responses had forced both the US and Israel to backtrack on their strategic goals while Israel says the country has achieved its objectives.

The speaker's remarks were met with chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” from lawmakers in the chamber.

Also on Wednesday, IAEA chief Grossi said the inspectors' return to Iranian nuclear facilities is the organization's number one priority.