Iran to suspend cooperation with IAEA after European move on UN sanctions

Iran’s top security body said Saturday that action by Britain, France and Germany to reimpose UN sanctions will “effectively suspend” its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

“Despite the foreign ministry’s cooperation with the (International Atomic Energy) Agency and the presentation of plans to resolve the issue, the actions of European countries will effectively suspend the path of cooperation with the agency,” the Supreme National Security Council said in a televised statement.

The announcement comes after the Security Council voted on Friday to reimpose frozen UN sanctions after the European governments activated the “snapback” mechanism in a decade-old nuclear agreement accusing Iran of non-compliance.

The vote means that the sanctions, which were suspended in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear activities set out in the 2015 deal, will take renewed effect on September 28 unless Iran can persuade the council to relent in the next week.

Tehran said the action by the European powers undermined months of engagement with the IAEA aimed at resuming monitoring and ensuring compliance with international rules.

Earlier this month, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement in Cairo that would have allowed inspections of Iranian nuclear sites to resume.

Iran had suspended them after Israel and the United States attacked its nuclear facilities in June.

Western governments have long accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition Tehran denies.

Tehran has also criticised the IAEA for failing to condemn the Israeli and US strikes.

The European governments have said they will not delay the reimposition of UN sanctions unless Iran resumes full cooperation with the IAEA and reopens nuclear talks with the United States, which have been suspended since June.