Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed into law a bill passed by parliament last week to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — a move the United States has described as "unacceptable".
Tehran has accused the IAEA of siding with Western powers and providing justification for Israeli airstrikes, which began a day after the agency's board of governors passed a resolution accusing Iran of breaching its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
According to the new legislation, any future inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities by the IAEA must receive prior approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
In response, the IAEA released a statement saying it is aware of the reports and is awaiting further official clarification from Iran.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told CBS News that the recent U.S. strike on the Fordow nuclear facility caused “serious and extensive damage” to the site.
Commenting on the situation, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce urged Tehran to resume full cooperation with the IAEA without further delay.
"It is unacceptable that Iran has chosen to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it still has an opportunity to reverse course and pursue a path of peace and prosperity," Bruce told reporters during a regular briefing.
She noted that prior to the successful U.S. strikes, Iran had been amassing a stockpile of highly enriched uranium with no credible peaceful purpose.
Bruce stressed that Iran must fully comply with its obligations under the NPT, including by providing the IAEA with information on undeclared nuclear material and granting unrestricted access to the newly announced enrichment facility.
“It bears repeating: under the leadership of Donald Trump, we have made significant progress on this issue. Iran cannot and will not obtain a nuclear weapon. The President has said this repeatedly, as has the Secretary of State,” she concluded.
However, Tehran has always denied pursuing nuclear weapons, maintaining that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes, such as energy production.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
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