Iran suspended the access of representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to its nuclear facilities and decided to dismantle video surveillance systems that were installed until recently as part of international monitoring. Tehran explains this step by the fact that, according to its statement, Israeli special services gained access to confidential information about the country’s strategic nuclear facilities. It is reported The Times of Israel with reference to Iranian media.
Vice Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Hamid Reza Haji Babaei informed about the ban on the visit of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. His statement came during a farewell ceremony for Iranian military and academics killed in recent Israeli strikes. These strikes, Tehran claims, were the result of a leak of internal information that allegedly reached Israel from international sources.
The events unfold against the background of the recent 12-day military conflict between Israel and Iran. In the course of this confrontation, the Israeli military attacked a number of well-protected facilities in Iran — including those that may be linked to nuclear weapons development. In response, Tehran carried out attacks on Israeli cities. After a series of rocket attacks, both sides reached a temporary ceasefire agreement.
It will be recalled that, according to the terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement concluded by Iran with the world’s leading powers — the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the European Union — Tehran agreed to install specialized surveillance cameras and allow IAEA inspectors access to key nuclear program facilities. These measures were intended to guarantee the exclusively peaceful character of Iranian research in the field of nuclear energy.
However, in 2018, the administration of Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from this multilateral agreement, effectively destroying the previous format of international control. Since then, Iran has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the level of trust and openness, and in recent months has actively threatened to end cooperation with the UN agency, in particular by dismantling the cameras.
The day before, these actions actually became a reality: against the background of a new aggravation of the situation, Tehran not only denied access to the head of the IAEA, but also officially announced its refusal to take further steps within the limits of nuclear control.
This decision coincided with a loud statement by Donald Trump, who promised that a new nuclear agreement with Iran could be reached in the coming days. However, such forecasts were immediately rejected in Tehran itself. The government of the Islamic Republic has said that no new negotiations are underway and that Trump’s words do not correspond to the real state of diplomatic contacts.
