Iran’s lawmakers urge Tehran to sever its ties with IAEA

By Eugene Nicklaus S. Laqui

A bill was raised on Wednesday by members of the Iranian Parliament that stipulates the immediate cessation of cooperation of Iran from the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, and instead should prioritise the creation of the Arab nation’s own nuclear program.

IAEA failed Iran, lawmakers claim

Iran’s lawmakers argued that the IAEA had failed to fulfil its part in certifying that Iran had been committed to avoiding using nuclear products as part of its armament under the terms and conditions initially set by the international atomic organisation and Tehran.

They argued that the recent resolution of IAEA alleging that Iran had violated its non-proliferation obligation had pushed Israel to strike Iranian territories, and later on dragged the situation into an all-out air war.

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What does the pending bill say?

Some of the scope of the bill, which has yet to be approved by the Iranian Guardian Council, has already received approval from the National Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament. This includes the shutting off of surveillance cameras set by the IAEA, and halting submission and filing of nuclear reports to the international atomic watchdog.

The bill also included the hastened establishment of a civilian nuclear program that would secure and uphold the interest of the Iranian people without the interference of foreign agencies.

Once the bill becomes law, all supposed activities of the IAEA should first receive clearance from the Supreme National Security Council, a move that could further hamper the IAEA’s efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.

Iranian legislative speaker doubts IAEA’s credibility

The move was vocally backed by Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. He claimed that the international credibility of the IAEA had already been “up for sale”, which was further indicated upon the absence of its condemnation against the ongoing strikes by Israel.

He said that the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran should cut its ties with the atomic watchdog of the United Nations while the country continues to bolster its “peaceful nuclear program”.

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