Iran formally stops cooperation with world nuclear watchdog

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday announced a formal suspension of the Tehran government’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA. The nuclear watchdog’s inspectors won’t be allowed into the country unless Iran’s national security council determines that the security of its nuclear sites is guaranteed, according to the state-sponsored Mehr news agency. The IAEA on Wednesday said it was aware of the reports and was awaiting further information from Tehran, according to Iranian state news.

The decision came after the IAEA in June released a resolution saying Iran broke its nuclear safeguards agreement and was enriching uranium in undeclared locations. Iranian authorities called the resolution a biased political measure. Israel referenced the resolution as a basis for its recent 12-day conflict with Iran.

What else do we know about Iran’s nuclear aims? Mohammed Eslami, the head of Iran’s nuclear organization, on Wednesday said that the recent bombings of its nuclear sites by the United States and Israel wouldn’t stop his program. Iran’s industry is homegrown, with nuclear technology embedded across the country, he said, according to Mehr.

Dig deeper: Read my story on the IAEA report accusing Iran of nuclear violations.