Pakistan, June 30 -- TEHRAN - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has strongly criticized the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, accusing him of taking a "destructive" approach that prompted Tehran to halt cooperation with the .

In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, Pezeshkian defended Iran's recent decision to cut ties with the International Atomic Energy (IAEA), calling it a "natural response" to what he called unfair treatment by Director General Rafael Grossi. "This move by lawmakers is rooted in the IAEA's unjust and harmful behaviour," he stated.

The diplomatic tension follows a June 13 Israeli strike on Iranian territory, followed by US attacks on nuclear sites. Iranian lawmakers responded by approving a...