For the first time in 20 years, Iran has expelled all international nuclear inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran and Israel could possibly engage in further conflict at any time.

According to informed sources, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has withdrawn its last group of inspection personnel from Iran. This comes after Iran implemented a new law criminalizing international monitoring activities, leading to a more serious information blockade in Tehran's nuclear program. A Western diplomat, who requested anonymity, stated that the last group of IAEA experts safely evacuated Tehran on Friday and returned to the agency's headquarters in Vienna. This is the first time in twenty years since Iran initiated uranium enrichment activities that the agency's inspectors have been expelled - these inspectors conducted nearly 500 inspections in the Islamic Republic of Iran last year. This move could immediately provoke condemnation from Western governments. Since the ceasefire between Israel and Iran last month, Western countries have been urging Tehran to resume IAEA inspections. However, Israel's airstrikes on nuclear facilities and military targets on June 13 effectively created a barrier, ending the supervision of Iran's capability to develop a weapons-grade nuclear program. Previously, 274 IAEA-certified inspectors had been tracking the whereabouts of 409 kilograms (902 pounds) of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium in Iran, which is currently missing. IAEA inspectors visited nuclear facilities an average of 1.4 times a day last year. Iran has accused the IAEA of assisting Israel in attacking its nuclear facilities, a claim that IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi has denied. The Iranian envoy in Vienna stated that the attacks involving U.S. troops on June 22 had irreparably damaged the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The treaty allows non-nuclear-weapon states to acquire nuclear technology but requires IAEA inspections. Although Iran has not withdrawn from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it can invoke the Vienna Convention on Treaty Law to claim the right to suspend inspections - this convention allows treaty countries to suspend cooperation when their rights are violated. The international community generally considers attacks on nuclear facilities to be in violation of legal norms. Whether Iran's legal claims can be recognized at the IAEA's headquarters in Austria and beyond may impact the fragile ceasefire between this Persian Gulf country and Israel. The two sides declared a ceasefire on June 24 after 12 days of conflict, but both have not ruled out the possibility of restarting hostilities. To deter potential new attacks, Iran may use the uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of the highly enriched uranium to gain leverage. If the U.S. and Israel want to know the current status and location of this nuclear material, they will still need to allow the IAEA to conduct on-site inspections through negotiations.