Iran’s rubber-stamp parliament greenlit legislation on Wednesday banning the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from working with the Iranian government, including helping inspect and ensure the safety of nuclear facilities.
The IAEA is an agency under the greater United Nations network. It is tasked with ensuring compliance of international law on nuclear development, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and aiding countries seeking peaceful nuclear development. The body approved a resolution on July 12 condemning Iran, for the first time in 20 years, for violating international legal standards on nuclear development. Its director-general, Rafael Grossi, told the IAEA board this month that he had reason to believe Iran was hiding “undeclared” nuclear sites from the U.N. body and that the radical Islamist regime had tried to “sanitize” them in anticipation of inspections.
The Iranian regime responded to the resolution by announcing the construction of yet another uranium enrichment facility. The status of that facility is unclear after this weekend’s hostilities.
The rift between the IAEA and the Iranian regime is notable given the lengthy history the United Nations has established for overt anti-Israel bias. Through other agencies, such as the Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the United Nations has maintained links with Iran-backed jihadist terrorist organizations such as Hamas. The U.N. admitted that several of its employees participated in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,200 Israeli civilians and the abduction of over 200. In addition to those who partook in the terrorism, U.N. officials were exposed as celebrating the carnage in group chats.
The Majlis, Iran’s parliament – which strictly observes the wishes of “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – reportedly passed a bill to suspend all cooperation with the IAEA.
“According to the parliament’s resolution, IAEA inspectors will not be permitted to enter Iran unless the security of the country’s nuclear facilities and that of peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed,” the Iranian propaganda outlet PressTV reported, “which is subject to the approval of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.”
The Majlis is also reportedly considering banning Rafael Grossi personally from the country, but this was not included in the text of Wednesday’s bill.
“The IAEA, which did not even formally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, has put its international credibility up for sale;” parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf condemned in remarks before the approval of the bill. “For this reason, the AEOI [Atomic Energy Organization of Iran] 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.”
Qalibaf promised to “respond forcefully to any aggressor” in his comments, which were presumably about the IAEA.
Iranian officials openly threatened Rafael Grossi personally shortly after President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he had approved airstrikes to neutralize activities at three Iranian nuclear sites: the complexes at Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among the first to condemn America after the airstrikes, declaring himself “gravely alarmed” by the “direct threat to international peace and security.”
“Once the war is over, we will settle accounts with Grossi,” senior Khamenei adviser Ali Larijani warned in a social media post on Monday.
Iran and Israel were at war for 12 days beginning on July 13, shortly after the IAEA condemnation. The Israeli government announced “Operation Rising Lion” on that day, which began with airstrikes eliminating multiple top Iranian officials, including the chief of staff of the armed forces and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Iran responded with a barrage of airstrikes targeting civilians in Israel, killing dozens.
The conflict was paused by a ceasefire announced by Trump on Monday. Iran has since declared “victory” despite losing top regime officials and seeing both its nuclear development and its military assets significantly depleted.
“Backed by the support of all Iranians at home and abroad, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran made the Zionist regime miserable by aggravating its existential crisis and deterred the US from further aggression against Iran,” Qalibaf claimed on Wednesday, “fulfilling the true promise of the wise Leader of the Revolution.”
Grossi offered to help Iran assess the damage to its nuclear facilities shortly after the Israeli attack occurred, including offering to personally travel to the country, but Tehran rejected the appeal. Following the American airstrikes, it remains unclear at press time the extent of the damage to the sites, as reports from American, Israeli, and Iranian sources conflict. Grossi himself said in an interview on Tuesday that the destruction is formidable and set back Iran’s nuclear development significantly.
“The Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly,” Grossi told Fox News. “It is clear that there is one Iran before June 13 — nuclear Iran, and one now, and it’s night and day.”
Grossi has attracted particular ire from the Iranian regime for repeatedly expressing frustration with Tehran’s behavior towards his agency. Grossi warned in November that Iran was running out of time to find a diplomatic solution to tensions surrounding its nuclear program, pressuring Tehran, and not Washington, to come to the negotiating table.
“The Iranian administration must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense and that the margins to maneuver are beginning to shrink,” Grossi asserted at the time.
Grossi also openly admitted that Iran had been violating the 2015 nuclear deal for years, contrary to Iranian regime propaganda, and expressed concern about illicit development.
