The International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors have left Iran, just two days after the country suspended cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency.
The move comes as experts warn that the American and Israeli airstrikes on key nuclear facilities will likely drive Iran's nuclear program underground and make it harder for international observers to be certain if Tehran is building a bomb.
An IAEA team of inspectors on Friday "safely departed from Iran to return to the agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the agency said.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, it said, "reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible."
Iran announced a suspension of its cooperation with the IAEA on Wednesday, a move that significantly escalates tensions in the region following recent American and Israeli airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
President Masoud Pezeshkian's order further complicates efforts by international inspectors who have been struggling to monitor Tehran's uranium enrichment program, which is already operating at near weapons-grade levels.
While specific details and timelines for the suspension remain opaque, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that diplomatic channels with the United States remain open, despite a suggestion of immediate talks from U.S. President Donald Trump. "The doors of diplomacy," Mr. Araghchi stated, "will never slam shut."
This is not the first time Iran has used limitations on inspections by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog as leverage in negotiations with Western powers. The latest action follows the passage of a law by Iran's parliament, subsequently approved by the Guardian Council, mandating such a suspension until "guaranteed security of nuclear facilities and scientists" is ensured.
International condemnation and calls for sanctions
The decision drew swift and sharp condemnation from abroad. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced it as a "complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and commitments." Saar urged European nations to activate the "snapback clause" of the 2015 nuclear deal, which would reimpose all U.N. sanctions on Iran.
Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, deemed Iran's suspension "unacceptable" and urged Tehran to "choose a path of peace and prosperity."
While a significant escalation, Iran's move falls short of what experts consider the gravest concern: a complete withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and an accelerated drive to build a nuclear weapon.
Iran could begin producing enriched uranium again in “a matter of months,” IAEA's Grossi told CBS News, pointing to severe but "not total" damage from the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities – which Iran clearly has the capacity to rebuild.
The nuclear deal and escalating enrichment
The 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, had significantly limited Iran's uranium enrichment to 3.67%, well below weapons-grade levels, and substantially reduced its stockpile.
However, the United States under the first Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018, leading to a steady increase in tensions. Since then, Iran has been enriching uranium up to 60%, a technically short step away from weapons-grade material.
The suspension directly follows a series of Israeli airstrikes that began on June 13, targeting not only Iran's Revolutionary Guard and ballistic missile arsenal but also nuclear sites. The U.S. sent a group of B-2 stealth bombers to Iran on June 21.
The Pentagon claims these strikes with so-called bunker buster bombs "completely obliterated" targeted facilities, suggesting a setback to Iran's nuclear program of up to two years. Iran reported high casualties from the strikes, a figure disputed by human rights groups.
