Parliament approves bill to suspend Tehran’s cooperation with IAEA
Qalibaf warns ‘finger on trigger’ to respond to any aggression
Iran’s Parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following recent air strikes by Israel and the United States on key Iranian nuclear facilities during two weeks of aggression against Iran.
The general and specific provisions of the bill were approved after 221 lawmakers voted in favor and one abstained, with no votes against from those present in the 290-seat legislature.
Before Wednesday’s voting, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf denounced the IAEA for failing to condemn strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency, which refused to even marginally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, put its international credibility up for auction,” Qalibaf said.
“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend its cooperation with the IAEA until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed,” he said.
“With the utmost skepticism, we will not be deceived by any promise, and more prepared than ever, with our finger on the trigger, we will respond forcefully to any aggressor.”
The speaker also stressed that Israel not only failed to stop Iran’s enrichment and limit its missile program but also suffered unprecedented damage to its military infrastructure, with cities across the occupied territories becoming unsafe and the myth of the Iron Dome shattered.
No major impact
According to a preliminary US Intelligence assessment, US airstrikes did not destroy Iran’s nuclear capability and only set it back by a few months despite claims by the US President Trump that the deployment of 30,000-pound bombs had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.
The decision by the Parliament still requires the approval of the Guardian Council, a body empowered to vet legislation.
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 nuclear activities is guaranteed.
Israel on June 13 launched a major bombardment campaign that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and killed hundreds of Iranian civilians, top military commanders and nuclear scientists. On Sunday, Israel’s ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities, before a cease-fire was agreed on Tuesday.