Iran considers suspending cooperation with IAEA, states report

The IAEA has yet to verify the full extent of the damage from recent airstrikes, and questions remain over the status of Iran’s nuclear material.

Tehran is mulling a parliamentary bill to suspend its cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), amid growing regional tensions and accusations of political bias.

Ruhollah Motefakerzadeh, a member of Iran's parliamentary presidium, told state media on Monday that the draft legislation is currently under consideration. The move comes in the wake of coordinated Israeli and U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which have reignited global concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf confirmed the development, stating, “We in the parliament are seeking to pass a bill that would suspend Iran's cooperation with the IAEA until we have objective guarantees of the professional behaviour of this international organisation.”

Qalibaf reiterated that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, but accused the IAEA of political partiality. “The world clearly saw that the Atomic Energy Agency has not fulfilled any of its obligations and has become a political tool,” he said.

The proposed legislation underscores growing frustration within Iran’s leadership over what it sees as the IAEA’s failure to act impartially, especially after the latest attacks that reportedly targeted uranium-enrichment facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.

While Iran maintains its nuclear programme is strictly for peaceful purposes, Western nations remain wary, particularly due to Tehran's growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The IAEA has yet to verify the full extent of the damage from recent airstrikes, and questions remain over the status of Iran’s nuclear material.