The Parliament of Iran approved on Wednesday (25), the suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), an organ linked to the UN responsible for monitoring the country’s nuclear program. The measure still needs to be validated by authorities of superior instances of the Iranian government, but has already generated international concern.
The proposal wants to prevent AIEA inspectors from having access to Iranian nuclear facilities. Until then, even with restrictions, Iran allowed the agency’s technical visits to monitor part of its atomic activities. Now, if the decision is upheld, the inspection can be completely interrupted.
According to the Iranian Congress, the decision is a response to what it considers to be a partial performance of the AIEA. The country accuses the agency to indirectly contributed to recent Israeli attacks by publishing reports that pointed to irregularities and traces of uranium in places not officially informed by Iran.
The AIEA had already warned that the country was enriching uranium at levels far above those allowed for civil use. The material reached 60% purity – well above the technical limit of about 14% used to generate electricity. Enrichment at high levels is considered an important step on the way to the production of nuclear weapons.
Although the decision is more symbolic at this time – since the Iranian Parliament has no total autonomy on national security issues – the gesture was interpreted as a sign of hardening from Iran’s position.
The director of AIEA, Rafael Grossi, is in Paris, where he discusses the case with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron. It is expected to officially comment on the matter in the coming days.
The tension involving the Iranian nuclear program is one of the causes of the recent escalation of clashes between Israel and Iran. The theme also entered the NATO radar, which discusses the need for reinforcement in global security policies, especially in the face of the rapprochement between Iran, Russia and China.
Laura Basilio under the supervision of João Vieira.
