Iran’s president approves law suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has approved a law to halt cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a move which will likely obscure any attempt by Tehran to restart its damaged nuclear program.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has approved a law to halt cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a move which will likely obscure any attempt by Tehran to restart its damaged nuclear program. Wednesday’s decision comes a week after Iran’s parliament passed a law to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. Iran blames the IAEA for collaborating with Israel and providing a pathway for strikes on its nuclear facilities, an accusation which the agency denies. Pezeshkian ordered Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, the Supreme National Security Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin implementing the law, state-run news agency IRNA said. It’s unclear when and how the new law will be implemented, but the decision could pave the way for Iran to rebuild its nuclear program without inspections or monitoring from the IAEA. Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which requires members to allow monitoring and inspections of facilities to confirm the peaceful nature of nuclear programs. “We are aware of these reports. The IAEA is awaiting further official information from Iran,” an IAEA spokesperson told CNN. The US State Department said Iran’s decision was “unacceptable” and called for Tehran to “cooperate fully without further delay.” Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said this comes at a time when Iran “has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity.”