Iran’s parliament approves bill to stop nuclear inspections

 Agency: Iran’s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that would suspend U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities, AP reported.

According to the news agency, the bill also requires the government to boost its uranium enrichment if European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal do not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions.

The vote to approve the bill was a show of defiance after the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist last month. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all nuclear policies.

The final vote tally wasn’t immediately released. But in a vote on whether to discuss the bill earlier Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency said 251 lawmakers in the 290-seat chamber voted in favor.

The bill would give European countries one month to ease sanctions on Iran’s key oil and gas sector, and to restore its access to the international banking system.

The U.S. imposed crippling sanctions on Iran after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement, triggering a series of escalations between the two sides.