Iran Turns Against International Atomic Energy Agency

Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, cast blame on the agency and its director general, Rafael Grossi, for the strike made by the United States.

The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its headquarters in Vienna on May 24, 2021. Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Iran has announced that it is ending its relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the aftermath of the strikes made by Israel and the United States on its nuclear facilities.

Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, took to social media platform X on June 27, stating that Iran’s Parliament voted to end collaboration with the agency “until the safety and security“ of the country’s nuclear activities ”can be guaranteed.”

He also placed significant blame for the attack on the agency and its director general, Rafael Grossi.

“He directly facilitated the adoption of a politically-motivated resolution against Iran by the IAEA BoG as well as the unlawful Israeli and US bombings of Iranian nuclear sites,” Araghchi said in his announcement. “In an astounding betrayal of his duties, [Grossi] has additionally failed to explicitly condemn such blatant violations of IAEA safeguards and its Statute.

“The IAEA and its Director-General are fully responsible for this sordid state of affairs.”

Araghchi went on to say that the agency’s insistence on visiting Iran’s destroyed sites was “meaningless and possibly even malign in intent” and that his nation reserved the right to take steps to defend its interests, people, and sovereignty.

Grossi said on social media the day before Iran’s vote, “We have a real window for diplomacy on the situation in Iran, one all parties must approach with resolve, as the moment demands.”

Grossi has faced calls for his arrest and even execution in Iran in the aftermath of the United States’ strategic bombing run, which were condemned by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Calls in Iran for the arrest and execution of IAEA Director General Grossi are unacceptable and should be condemned,” Rubio said on X. “We support the IAEA’s critical verification and monitoring efforts in Iran and commend the Director General and the IAEA for their dedication and professionalism. We call on Iran to provide for the safety and security of IAEA personnel.”

The agency announced on June 27 that radiation levels in the region remained normal despite the attacks, thanks to data collected by the International Radiation Monitoring System. However, although off-site radiation levels remain steady, Grossi reiterated his agency’s assessment that the attacks “would have caused localized radioactive releases inside the impacted facilities and localized toxic effects.”

“From a nuclear safety perspective, Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the Tehran Research Reactor represented our main concern as any strike affecting those facilities—including their off-site power lines—could have caused a radiological accident with potential consequences in Iran as well as beyond its borders in the case of the Bushehr plant,” Grossi said in a statement. “It did not happen, and the worst nuclear safety scenario was thereby avoided.”

Grossi continued to speak out against attacks on any nuclear facilities and emphasized the need for his agency’s inspectors to continue their verification activities mandated in Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with it.