Iran official says the US ‘torpedoed diplomacy’ as Tehran moves to suspend IAEA ties following war with Israel.
Iran’s parliament has passed a bill that would effectively suspend the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as Iran insists it will not give up its civilian nuclear programme in the wake of massive attacks on the country by Israel and the United States.
The move on Wednesday comes after a US and Qatar-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel ended 12 days of fierce hostilities – including an intensive US military intervention that struck three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that parliament voted to suspend – but not end – cooperation with the IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.
He said the US had “torpedoed diplomacy” and could no longer be trusted, citing extensive damage to nuclear infrastructure. He reaffirmed Iran’s right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
