Moscow Hopes Iran-IAEA Cooperation to Continue

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope for ongoing cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), despite the Iranian parliament’s recent advisory decision to halt collaboration.

Speaking after talks with his Laotian counterpart, Thongsavan Phomvihane, Lavrov emphasized that the move was advisory in nature, and that Russia hopes to see continued coordination between Iran and the IAEA, The Caspian Post reports, citing Russian media.

"I cannot comment in detail on the Iranian parliament’s decision to terminate cooperation with the IAEA, as it remains a recommendation to the executive branch," Lavrov stated. "We are interested in seeing continued cooperation between Iran and the IAEA."

He emphasized that Russia expects the international community to respect the repeated assurances from Iran’s supreme leader that Tehran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. "There is a special fatwa to this effect - a religious decree that carries the highest authority in the Islamic republic," Lavrov noted.

On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament approved a bill to temporarily suspend the republic’s cooperation with the IAEA. Under the new measure, IAEA officials will be barred from entering the country for inspections unless the safety of Iran’s nuclear facilities and its peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed.

Tehran emphasized that all Iranian nuclear sites targeted by Israel and subsequently by the United States were under IAEA supervision and protection, yet the agency failed to prevent the attacks.