IAEA says Iran suspending cooperation with agency is 'deeply regrettable'

The UN’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday it regretted Iran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the agency following June’s war between 'Israel' and Iran, urging Tehran to swiftly resume inspections.

The suspension came after a 12-day conflict marked by unprecedented 'Israeli' and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, escalating tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran has since said future cooperation with the agency will take “a new form.”

In a confidential report seen by AFP, the IAEA condemned Iran’s move as “deeply regrettable.” The Vienna-based agency also defended its withdrawal of inspectors from Iran, citing safety concerns linked to military attacks on nuclear facilities.

According to the report, Iran held an estimated 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent as of June 13, when the conflict began, an increase of 32.3 kilograms since May 17. The IAEA warned it had “lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the current inventories of nuclear material in Iran.”

Uranium enriched to 60 percent fissile purity is close to the roughly 90 percent needed for nuclear weapons and far beyond civilian energy requirements. Tehran remains the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching to that level, though it has consistently denied seeking a nuclear bomb.

Tensions between Iran and the IAEA have persisted since the collapse of a 2015 nuclear deal that curbed Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

The agreement unraveled after former US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the pact during his first term.