The new law may be primarily intended as an appeal to Iranian nationalistic sentiment, rather than a measure genuinely intended to harm Iran’s enemies.

Iran’s president has ordered the country to suspend its co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after US and Israeli air strikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities. The order by Masoud Pezeshkian included no timetable or details but is likely to further limit inspectors’ ability to track Tehran’s programme which had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.