Iran decries 'destructive' conduct of IAEA chief

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Tehran halted cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog due to what he called the agency chief's “destructive” behaviour towards the Islamic republic, his office said on Monday.

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“The action taken by parliament members... is a natural response to the unjustified, unconstructive, and destructive conduct of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Pezeshkian told Macron in a phone call late Sunday, according to a presidency statement.

On Wednesday, Iranian lawmakers voted in favour of a bill to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, citing Israel's June 13 attack on the Islamic republic and later strikes by the United States on nuclear facilities.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took hold on June 24.

Since the start of the war with Israel, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the agency for failing to condemn the strikes.

Iran has also criticised the watchdog for passing a resolution on June 12 accusing it of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations.

In a Sunday post on X, Macron said he called for “respect for the ceasefire” and a return to negotiations to address “ballistic and nuclear issues.”

He further called for “the swift resumption of the IAEA's work in Iran to ensure full transparency.”