TEHRAN: Iran “cannot completely cut cooperation” with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, but the return of its inspectors will depend on the decision of the country’s security authorities, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.
His remarks come nearly two months after Iran suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June.
Iran has cited the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli and American strikes on its nuclear facilities as the reason behind the suspension. The move led to the departure of the watchdog’s inspectors from the country after new legislation was passed by the Iranian parliament.
“We cannot completely cut cooperation with the agency,” Araghchi said, noting that new fuel rods need to be installed at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant in the coming weeks, which will require the presence of IAEA inspectors.
“Under the law passed by parliament, the return of inspectors will be possible through a decision of the Supreme National Security Council,” he told the official IRNA news agency in an interview published on Wednesday.
In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented assault targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities, with some strikes also hitting residential areas. The United States carried out separate attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz.
The conflict brought an abrupt halt to negotiations between Iran and the United States over a potential new nuclear agreement to replace the 2015 deal, which was abandoned by former President Donald Trump during his first term in office.
In response, Iran announced that its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would take “a new form.” Earlier this month, a deputy director of the IAEA visited Tehran for discussions. Following the visit, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that Iran and the agency had agreed to “continue consultations.”
