Iranian minister: Cooperation with nuclear agency will take new shape

An Iranian law to suspend current cooperation with the UN nuclear agency, the IAEA, will become a reality.

This was said by the country's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Thursday evening.

The law has been passed by parliament and now also by a political council, and it is therefore binding, the minister said on Iranian state television.

- The law, which was passed by parliament and has been approved by the Guardian Council, is binding on our side, and there is no doubt about its implementation.

When the law was passed by parliament on Wednesday, Reuters wrote that it had to be approved by Iran's National Security Council before it would finally apply.

Araghchi does not mention that council. It is not clear whether the law has also passed here.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, stated earlier Thursday that it had not yet heard from Iran about a final decision.

Later in the day, the Foreign Minister said that the law is in place.

He adds that the relationship with the nuclear watchdog will be different in the future.

- From now on, our relationship and cooperation with the agency will take a new form, said Abbas Araghchi.

He does not elaborate on what this will entail.

178 countries cooperate with the IAEA. The organization aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the world and ensure that nuclear power is used safely. This is done, among other things, through inspections of nuclear facilities and uranium stocks.

Iran has built up large stocks of enriched uranium in recent years. This has created concern in the West and in Israel that Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons.

According to Israel, this concern is the basis for the country's decision to attack Iran on June 13.

Subsequently, Iran struck back, and the two countries attacked each other numerous times before the United States - Israel's ally - actively joined the conflict and attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran.

Since then, Iran and Israel have entered into a ceasefire, and Iran has, as is well known, taken steps towards dropping cooperation with the IAEA nuclear agency.

Iran has consistently denied that the country is trying to obtain nuclear weapons.

/ritzau/AFP