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Military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and Tehran's criticism of the IAEA threaten to undermine the credibility and effectiveness of the Agency's work, with implications for non-proliferation beyond the Iran nuclear file.

In response to Israeli and American attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and other strategically important sites across the country, Iran reciprocated with strikes on Israeli territory and a US base in Qatar. As Tehran’s response to the attacks continues to unroll, an additional target has come squarely into its metaphorical crosshairs – the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Both the attacks on Iran’s facilities and the strong Iranian criticism of the international nuclear watchdog that has followed threaten to undermine the work and credibility of the IAEA. This has implications not just for the Iran nuclear file but for the effectiveness of non- and counter-proliferation efforts more broadly. Finding ways to counter these threats to the Agency’s credibility should be a priority for the US and Europe but also for Iran.

The IAEA in Iran’s Crosshairs

On Wednesday, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian signed into law a suspension of all cooperation between Iran and the IAEA. According to the legislation, cooperation would be reinstated should certain conditions be met, following confirmation by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and approval by the Supreme National Security Council. The conditions include assurances that Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the security of Iranian nuclear facilities and scientists, would be respected. The legislation also expects full recognition of Iran’s rights under Article 4 of the NPT, including a right to enrichment. Whether the Treaty actually provides for such a right is a matter of some debate. It is unclear who is meant to provide Iran with the assurances it seeks to restart cooperation with the IAEA.

Besides the new legislation, Iranian leadership has been highly vitriolic in its public criticism of the IAEA. Tehran claims that a recent IAEA report on the state of the Iranian nuclear programme was politically motivated and provided an impetus for the Israeli and US attacks. The report reiterated long-standing questions over past Iranian activities, some persistent discrepancies in material accounting and repeated failures by Iran to provide the Agency with credible explanations on these matters. It led to the adoption, the day before the first Israeli strikes, of a finding by the IAEA Board of Governors of Iranian non-compliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) obligations relating to cooperation with the Agency.

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