Kremlin says Tehran’s decision to suspend cooperation with IAEA 'direct' result of strikes on Iran

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Kremlin on Wednesday said Tehran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a "direct" result of the strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.

“Of course, such a decision is a direct consequence of the unprovoked attack that took place, a direct consequence of the strikes on nuclear facilities, which were quite unprecedented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a press briefing.

Peskov’s remarks came as Iran’s parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog Wednesday morning, just a day after a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel took effect.

Expressing that the severing of cooperation between Tehran and the IAEA “cannot but cause concern,” Peskov argued that the watchdog’s reputation has been seriously damaged in the context of the strikes on Iran.

The spokesman also said Russia is closely monitoring the situation and also maintaining contacts with Iran, adding that there are “certain contacts” between Washington and Tehran, both directly and through other channels.

He went on to say it is unlikely anyone has realistic data on the extent to which Iran's nuclear facilities were damaged after Israeli and US strikes, and that they must wait until such data appears.

Israel launched airstrikes on several sites across Iran on June 13, including military and nuclear facilities, alleging that Tehran was on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb, a claim vehemently denied by Iran.

While Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, the US joined the conflict by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.

After 12 days of aerial combat between the two regional arch-foes, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end their conflict.