TEHRAN: A parliamentary bill to suspend Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was ratified by the Guardian Council, Iran’s Young Journalist Club news outlet reported on Thursday, referring to a panel of clerics and jurists who vet legislation, Reuters says.
Similarly, Al Jazeera cited Young Journalist Club while reporting that a spokesperson for the country’s Guardian Council says the body has approved a bill passed a day earlier by parliament that suspends cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
The move comes as Iran blames the IAEA agency for giving Israel and the US justification for carrying out their attacks.
Also on Thursday, Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would “never surrender” to the United States, in his first remarks since a ceasefire in the war with Israel took hold.
“The American president indicated in one of his statements that Iran must surrender. Surrender! It is no longer a question of enrichment, nor of the nuclear industry, but of the surrender of Iran,” said Khamenei in a televised speech.
“Such an event (surrender) will never happen. It will never happen.”
IAEA CONTROVERSY
Just a day before the Israel’s attack on Iran, the UN nuclear watchdog’s Board of Governors approved a resolution on June 12, declaring Iran is not complying with its commitment to international nuclear safeguards.
In its reaction, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Atomic Energy Organization in a joint statement had described the resolution as “politically motivated”. The resolution “seriously undermines the credibility and integrity of the IAEA”, they said.
On the other hand, some circles even claim that Israel was able to assassinate the Iranian scientists during the 12-day war only because the IAEA had shared their details to it.