The United Nations atomic agency is pulling its inspectors out of Iran over safety concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi “reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible,” it said in a post on X/Twitter.
The team will return to the UN nuclear watchdog’s headquarters in Vienna after staying in Tehran during the conflict between Israel and Iran, the agency said on Friday.
Iran moves to suspend IAEA cooperation
They depart the country by road, despite Iran’s main airport resuming normal operations in the wake of the 12-day conflict, sources told the WSJ.
Iran’s parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the international nuclear watchdog.
The move needs the final approval of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to be enforced, according to Nournews.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was quoted by state media as also saying Iran would accelerate its civilian nuclear program and that the IAEA had refused even to appear to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which “has put its international credibility up for sale.”
“For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend its cooperation with the Agency until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed and move at a faster pace with the country’s peaceful nuclear program,” Ghalibaf said.