Iran Signals Breakdown in Nuclear Oversight and Talks After U.S.-Israel Strikes: No Trust Left, Says Foreign Ministry
In a significant escalation of tensions following the recent U.S. and Israeli military strikes on its nuclear facilities, Iran is reconsidering its future cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and may even re-evaluate its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), top Iranian officials said Thursday.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on Iranian state television, confirmed that Iran has halted all IAEA inspections for the time being and is still in the process of legally assessing a new bill passed by the Iranian Parliament that could dramatically reshape its relationship with the nuclear watchdog.
The bill also casts doubt over Iran’s continued participation in the NPT, an international agreement aimed at curbing the spread of nuclear weapons.
“Whether we stay in the NPT or not must be evaluated based on our national interests. No decision has been made yet, but we will act accordingly,” said Araghchi.
He made it clear that Iran’s traditional cooperation with the IAEA had been damaged by what Tehran sees as the agency’s failure to condemn the airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“The IAEA Director-General should have publicly condemned these attacks. Assaulting nuclear facilities is a violation of international law and amounts to an unforgivable crime,” he added.
Despite the newly passed law, Araghchi indicated that the legislation has not entirely shut the door on cooperation with the IAEA, but Iran would now review its terms of engagement based on legal and national security considerations.
At the same time, Araghchi categorically denied that any progress had been made toward resuming nuclear negotiations with the United States, stating that no date, agreement, or even informal dialogue had taken place or been scheduled since the strikes.
He dismissed media speculation as baseless and warned that any future negotiations, if they happen at all, would be even more complex and contentious.
“These talks, should they resume, will not be easier for the Americans. People have died because of their actions. Returning to the table as if nothing happened is simply not possible,” Araghchi declared.
Meanwhile, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, reinforced Iran’s hardened stance, emphasizing that the recent military campaign by the U.S. and Israel had further entrenched Iran’s distrust of the West.
“Our nuclear rights remain intact despite all forms of coercion—military or diplomatic. Pressure, threats, and even open aggression have failed to force Iran into submission,” Baghaei told state news agency IRNA in a detailed interview.
He also rejected accusations that Iran deliberately stalled pre-war talks scheduled to be held in Oman, calling them an attempt by Washington to divert attention from its insincerity.
“Let the world see who truly sabotaged diplomacy. Iran entered negotiations with a clear logic, but the other side was never serious.
Instead of dialogue, they turned to destruction,” Baghaei said, accusing the U.S. of using its regional allies to provoke Iran while pretending to seek peace.
In closing, Baghaei firmly stated that Iran never trusted the U.S., even when talks were ongoing.
“There’s a misconception that recent events eroded trust between Iran and the U.S. In truth, there was never any trust to begin with. Their record of broken promises and strategic deception speaks for itself.”
As diplomatic channels collapse and surveillance mechanisms fall away, Iran’s nuclear future appears increasingly opaque, with both sides now entrenched in a cycle of distrust and retaliation, leaving regional stability hanging in the balance.
