RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed the signing of an agreement to resume cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), facilitated by the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, underscored the importance of building trust, adopting diplomatic solutions, and cooperating with the IAEA.
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry welcomes the signing of the agreement to resume cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, under the auspices of the Arab Republic of Egypt. pic.twitter.com/Ni9UnxV4D7
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) September 10, 2025
For months, in the background of the latest agreement, Iran had suspended cooperation with the IAEA following US and Israeli strikes on its nuclear infrastructure in June, which caused significant damage.
In July, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian formally enacted a law to halt inspections unless approved by the Supreme National Security Council, citing sovereignty and security considerations. Since then, inspectors had limited access—most recently only to the Bushehr facility.
Continued pressure from the E3 (France, Germany, and the UK), invoking the 2015 nuclear deal’s “snap-back” clause, demanded resumption of full inspections.
In a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced a technical cooperation framework, allowing inspections to resume, though specific site protocols remain undisclosed.
Araghchi emphasised that the agreement reconciles Iran’s safeguard obligations with its security constraints and underpins domestic legal mandates, including the requirement for approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
After Iran agreed to strict limits on uranium enrichment under the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), France, Germany, and the UK (the E3) lifted most UN sanctions.
But when the United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed its own sanctions, the agreement began to break down.
In response, Iran gradually increased its enrichment activities, claiming they are for peaceful purposes and blaming the U.S. withdrawal as the main barrier to returning to full compliance.
