ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran on Monday criticized the UN nuclear watchdog, accusing it of failing to fulfill its mission and of remaining silent after the United States and Israel targeted Tehran's nuclear sites during their 12-day war in June.

“The Agency failed to condemn these illegal actions [US and Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites] and failed to protect the integrity of its safeguards system and fulfill its statutory mission. This silence and inaction will remain a shameful stain on the Agency’s history,” Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said during the annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday.

Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said Tehran has fully cooperated with the IAEA and denied any evidence of a weapons program, Iranian state media outlet IRNA reported. He further stressed Iran’s commitment to cooperating with the agency if “the security concerns of the nation and nuclear facilities are addressed.”

“It is very important that such a law be enacted that prohibits military attacks on nuclear facilities, and even if this resolution is not passed, it shows that the Charter of the United Nations has been damaged,” he emphasized.

Iran's presidency in early July ratified a bill suspending cooperation with the IAEA, with Iranian officials having strongly criticized the IAEA for adopting a resolution in mid-June that accused the country of failing to comply with its nuclear obligations.

The IAEA resolution, proposed by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, passed with 19 of 35 countries voting in favor of the measure, coming after the watchdog released a report that accused Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear safeguards. 

Tehran balked at the accusations and claimed that they presented Israel a justification for its strikes. The AEOI responded by condemning the resolution and calling cooperation with the IAEA "counterproductive."

However, frosty relations between Tehran and the body have somehwat thawed recently, with cooperation set to resume, pending approval from the upper echelons of the Iranian government.

Iran on Sunday announced that the UN nuclear watchdog’s cooperation with the country's nuclear program would require approval from the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), days after an agreement was signed to resume working with the agency.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi signed an agreement in Cairo on Tuesday, setting terms for nuclear safeguards and inspections in Iran. 

On Monday, Grossi, referring to the new agreement, said, “Now it's up to us together, Iran and us, to implement it and to restore confidence and move forward,” he said during his speech, aired by AFP.

Iran’s SNSC said Sunday the country would submit its report to the IAEA only after the council’s approval and once security conditions were ensured. It warned that in the case of any hostile action against Tehran, the implementation of these arrangements would be suspended.

Iran was elected as one of the eight vice-presidents of the IAEA's annual general conference in Vienna, owing to the backing of the UN nuclear watchdog's Middle East and South Asia membership group, IRNA reported on Monday.