Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued an order formally suspending cooperation with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to state-run media, the order was made following Iran’s parliament’s vote to end cooperation.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce condemned the decision, stating during a press conference: “It is unacceptable that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity.
“Iran must fully comply with its safeguards agreement required under the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons), including by providing the IAEA with information required to clarify and resolve long-standing questions regarding undeclared nuclear material in Iran, as well as provide unrestricted access to its newly announced enrichment facility,” Bruce added.
Last week, the Iranian parliament moved to ban the IAEA from working with the Iranian government in inspecting nuclear facilities.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said prior to the vote that the IAEA, “which did not even formally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, has put its international credibility up for sale; for this reason, the AEOI will suspend its cooperation with the Agency until the security of its nuclear facilities is guaranteed, and Iran’s peaceful nuclear program will proceed at an even faster pace.”
The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, also told CBS News that Iran will “never stop” enriching uranium.
Speaking to Margaret Brennan of “Face the Nation,” Iravani said the Non-Proliferation Treaty “means that the right of one side will be the obligation of the other sides,” noting that rights granted by the treaty include Iran’s ability to “research on development, we can have the production of uranium, and we can have – use the peaceful energy” and the “legal protection by the IAEA for our activity and technical corporations for our development programs.”
“So, the enrichment is our right. An inalienable right. And we want to implement this right,” Iravani stated.
