Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday, a move swiftly condemned as "unacceptable" by the United States, AFP reported.
This decision follows a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and significantly escalated tensions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to suspend cooperation with the Vienna-based IAEA on June 25, a day after a ceasefire took effect. State media confirmed the legislation is now in force. According to Iranian media, the law aims to "ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran" under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with a focus on uranium enrichment.
Washington, which has urged Tehran to resume negotiations on its nuclear program, criticized Iran's decision.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated, "We'll use the word 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."
The spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres described the decision as "obviously concerning."
The status of IAEA inspectors in Iran remains uncertain following the suspension. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, confirmed Sunday that inspectors' work had been suspended but denied threats against them or IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.
He stated, "The inspectors are in Iran and are safe," but "their activities have been suspended, and they are not allowed to access our sites."
The new legislation does not specify exact steps following the suspension. However, ISNA news agency cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying inspectors now require approval from Iran's Supreme National Security Council to access nuclear sites.
The Iranian government contends that a resolution passed last month by the board of the IAEA, which declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, paved the way for the recent Israeli strikes.
The resolution censuring Iran followed the most recent IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear program, which revealed a sharp increase in Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, a level significantly closer to weapons-grade material.
Iran has rejected the IAEA report, claiming it was based on “unreliable and misleading information” provided to the agency by Israel.