Above photo: AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool, File.
Paris warns of snapback sanctions.
While Moscow criticizes the IAEA’s silence over Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Iran’s Guardian Council ratified a bill on 26 June to suspend all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The move came a day after parliament overwhelmingly approved the measure in response to Israeli and US attacks on the country’s nuclear sites.
France and Russia have both warned against the move, urging Iran to maintain cooperation with the UN agency and avoid escalating the nuclear standoff further.
The law halts all IAEA inspections, oversight, and reporting, and will remain in effect until Iran receives guarantees for the safety of its nuclear facilities and personnel, along with recognition of its enrichment rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
According to a senior political source cited by Amwaj.media, the suspension takes effect immediately and does not require further government approval.
French Ambassador to the UN Jerome Bonnafont warned on 24 June that failure to resume negotiations with the IAEA could trigger the JCPOA’s snapback clause, which allows participant states to unilaterally reimpose UN sanctions if Iran is found to be in serious breach of its commitments.
He called for a “strong, verifiable, and lasting” agreement, emphasizing that diplomatic channels must remain open.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also opposed Tehran’s decision, calling for continued engagement with the IAEA to support Iran’s long-standing position that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons.
The Kremlin described the vote as a direct consequence of Israeli and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure and criticized the agency for failing to condemn the attacks.
Iranian officials and lawmakers have accused IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi of double standards and complicity in enabling Israeli targeting. Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad labeled Grossi a “liar,” while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the attacks would only accelerate Iran’s nuclear program.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei condemned what he described as Washington’s “torpedoing” of diplomacy and said Iran no longer sees value in engaging under the current framework of the NPT.
He reaffirmed that the country’s nuclear activities would continue regardless of international pressure.
Grossi responded to the developments during remarks in Vienna on 25 June, saying Iran’s enriched uranium “may be there,” likely relocated to protected sites, and that resuming inspections was his “top priority.”
Speaking the next day in Paris, he stressed that Iran’s cooperation is a legal requirement under the NPT, “not a concession,” and called for immediate access now that the ceasefire is in effect.
The 12-day war between Iran and Israel, launched on 13 June and culminating in US airstrikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan on 21 June, ended with a fragile ceasefire on 24 June.
Throughout the war, IAEA access to Iranian nuclear sites was cut off, and Tehran has since insisted that cooperation will not resume unless its security demands are met.
