Iran's parliament passes bill to halt IAEA cooperation after US-Israel strikes
Iran's Parliament has passed a resolution to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. The new law will only become official after it is approved by the Guardian Council, a powerful unelected body that reviews all legislation passed by Parliament.This comes after a 12-day military conflict between Iran and Israel. During the war, Iran's nuclear sites were targeted. Iran says it is not developing nuclear weapons, but Israel has long suspected otherwise. The resolution is seen as Iran's response to unfair treatment by the IAEA and a failure by the agency to condemn attacks on its nuclear facilities.advertisementParliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran will now speed up its peaceful nuclear program. He accused the IAEA of ignoring recent attacks on Iran's nuclear sites and said, "The Agency has put its international credibility up for sale." Qalibaf added that cooperation with the IAEA will be suspended until Iran's nuclear sites are fully secure.IRAN SAYS INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES CANNOT BE TRUSTED
According to the new resolution, any future visits or inspections by IAEA inspectors will need approval from Iran's Supreme National Security Council. The bill also calls for stopping surveillance camera installations, stopping inspections, and ending reports submitted to the IAEA.Sepah News, the media arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed the resolution and called it a strong message. In a statement, they said, "The leadership of international organisations is not a responsibility that can be entrusted to a spy."advertisementMeanwhile, Iran's Embassy in India thanked India for supporting Iran during its conflict with Israel. In a message, the embassy said, "We extend heartfelt gratitude to all the noble and freedom-loving people of India... including citizens, political leaders, and media who have stood by Iran in recent days."The embassy strongly criticised the US for its June 22 attacks on Iran's nuclear sites. Ambassador Iraj Elahi said the strikes on Fordow, Esfahan, and Natanz were unjustified. He pointed out that Iran is a member of both the IAEA and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and yet was still attacked by a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.Iran's leaders say they were unfairly treated during the recent air war. They believe international organisations, like the IAEA, should have condemned the attacks on peaceful nuclear sites. "The date must be recorded in history," said Ambassador Elahi.Tehran has now announced national funerals for the generals and nuclear scientists killed in the attacks. The funerals will take place on June 28.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
The alluring fantasy of a quick win in Iran
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Read all our coverage of the war in the Middle East Yet this maddening uncertainty is not a bug—it is an inherent feature of this kind of air-war and bombing operation. And it highlights a deeply uncomfortable question. If Iran's leaders cling to power and continue to pursue a clandestine nuclear programme, dealing with it will require America's long-term military commitment to the region. Is it really up for it? The answer is 'maybe'. Mr Trump has spoken of the ceasefire lasting 'for ever' and made a comparison with Hiroshima: 'That ended that war. This ended the war'. On June 24th Mr Vance hailed a new foreign-policy doctrine that would 'change the world', consisting of a 'clearly defined' American interest, 'aggressive' negotiation and the use of 'overwhelming force' if required. In fact the outlook on Iran is far murkier. 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Instead it tried to control his weapons of mass destruction and thuggery through inspections, embargoes, no-fly-zones and bombing. 'If you just changed one letter in the country's name it could all become eerily familiar,' says Richard Fontaine of the Centre for a New American Security, a think-tank in Washington. 'The least likely scenario is that Iran just disappears as a security threat.' The exasperating containment of Iraq was a prelude to the invasion of 2003. An alternative is to try to turn a transient military success into a stable political settlement. Previous presidents have been burned. Ronald Reagan's peacekeeping mission in Lebanon brought suicide attacks on American soliders and diplomats in 1983. Barack Obama's air campaign in Libya in 2011 caused a still-raging civil war. Mr Trump has claimed Mr Reagan's slogan of 'peace through strength'. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, says 'promising' talks are happening with Iran, directly and indirectly. 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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Iran parliament moves bill to halt UN nuclear watchdog cooperation
Iran's parliament has approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, following recent Israeli airstrikes targeting its nuclear facilities, according to state-affiliated outlet Nournews, Reuters reported. The bill, which still requires approval from the unelected Guardian Council, mandates that any future inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be cleared by Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran would 'accelerate its civilian nuclear programme'. He criticised the IAEA for failing to condemn Israel's attacks, saying it 'has put its international credibility up for sale,' as per the Reuters. 'For this reason,' Qalibaf added, '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.' The bill also suspends installation of surveillance cameras, inspections, and reporting to the IAEA, as per the parliament's national security committee. Tehran insists it does not seek nuclear weapons, blaming a recent IAEA resolution accusing it of breaching non-proliferation rules for opening the door to Israeli strikes. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday he was working to restore inspections at Iranian nuclear plants hit during Israeli strikes on June 13. The agency did not immediately respond to the Iranian parliament's decision. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: 'I think that our view on our nuclear programme and the non-proliferation regime will witness changes, but it is not possible to say in what direction.' The full extent of damage from Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, however, remains unclear. (With Inputs from Reuters)
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Trump says U.S., Iranian officials will talk next week as ceasefire holds
Israel and Iran seemed to honour the fragile ceasefire between them for a second day Wednesday (June 25, 2025) and U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that American and Iranian officials will talk next week, giving rise to cautious hope for longer-term peace. Also read: Israel-Iran war highlights on June 25, 2025 Mr. Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire that took hold Tuesday (June 24, 2025) on the 12th day of the war, told reporters at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that he was not particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, insisting that U.S. strikes had destroyed its nuclear program. Earlier in the day, an Iranian official questioned whether the United States could be trusted after its weekend attack. 'We may sign an agreement; I don't know,' Mr. Trump said. 'The way I look at it, they fought; the war is done.' Iran has not acknowledged any talks taking place next week, though U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries. A sixth round of U.S.-Iran negotiations was scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was cancelled after Israel attacked Iran. Earlier, Mr. Trump said the ceasefire was going 'very well' and added that Iran was 'not going to have a bomb, and they're not going to enrich.' Iran has insisted that it will not give up its nuclear programme. In a vote underscoring the tough path ahead, its parliament agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. watchdog that has monitored the programme for years. Ahead of the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticised the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for refusing 'to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities' that the U.S. carried out Sunday (June 22, 2025) 'For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured, and Iran's peaceful nuclear programme will move forward at a faster pace,' Mr. Qalibaf told lawmakers. IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he wrote to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities. Among other things, Iran claims to have moved its highly enriched uranium ahead of the U.S. strikes, and Grossi said his inspectors need to reassess the country's stockpiles. 'We need to return,' he said. 'We need to engage.' Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, and U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons, which it has never acknowledged. The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said its assessment was that the U.S. and Israeli strikes have 'set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.' It did not give evidence to back up its claim. The U.S. strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Mr. Trump said 'completely and fully obliterated' the country's nuclear program. When asked about a U.S. intelligence report that found Iran's nuclear program has been set back only a few months, Trump scoffed and said it would at least take years to rebuild. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed that the strikes by American B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had caused significant damage. 'Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure,' he told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, refusing to go into detail. He seemed to suggest Iran might not shut out IAEA inspectors for good, noting that the bill before parliament only talks of suspending work with the agency, not ending it. He also insisted Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy program. 'Iran is determined to preserve that right under any circumstances,' he said.
