Iran suspends U.N. nuclear watchdog cooperation in new bill

The Iranian body tasked with vetting legislation approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday (June 26, 2025), citing recent U.S. and Israeli strikes. Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of the bill on Wednesday (June 25, 2025), a day after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Israel that saw Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday (June 26, 2025) said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium to shield it from U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program over the weekend.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiclaimed victory over Israel and said his country had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” on Thursday (June 26, 2025), in his first public comments since a ceasefire was declared in the war between the two countries.

The Iranian body tasked with vetting legislation approved a bill to suspend cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday, citing recent U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of the bill on Wednesday, a day after a ceasefire ended a 12-day war with Israel that saw Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran has also criticised the agency for passing a resolution on June 13 accusing it of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.

Iranian officials say the censure motion was “one of the main excuses” for the Israeli and US attacks.

“The government is required to suspend all cooperation with the (International Atomic Energy Agency) to ensure full respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Guardian Council spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif told the official IRNA news agency.