VIENNA: UN nuclear watchdog inspectors left Iran on Friday, according to the agency, which called for the resumption of its “indispensable monitoring” after the Islamic republic officially suspended its cooperation.
The suspension came after last month’s 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and escalated tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,” the IAEA said in a post on X.
“IAEA 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 added.
Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday.
On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to suspend the cooperation.
The law aims to “ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran” under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with a particular focus on uranium enrichment, according to Iranian media.
Washington, which has been pressing Tehran to resume the negotiations that were interrupted by Israel’s resort to military action on June 13, has hit out at the Iranian decision, calling it “unacceptable”.
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