Iran IAEA progress in talks
Cairo (dpa) — Iran and the UN’s atomic watchdog said on Tuesday that progress has been made in negotiations over resuming nuclear site inspections.
The outcome was achieved in Cairo, where Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), met met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The talks were mediated by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Atti.
In a post on X, Grossi wrote that a framework agreement had been reached “on practical modalities to resume inspection activities in Iran.”
He called it “a step in the right direction that opens the door for diplomacy and stability.” Further details were not revealed.
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state television that the government had reached an understanding with the IAEA on the “modalities for dealing with the new situation.”
Tehran suspended cooperation with IAEA inspectors after its key nuclear facilities were attacked by Israeli and US aircraft in June.
For weeks, the UN agency has been negotiating with Iranian officials on resuming inspections, with particular focus on more than 400 kilograms of uranium that the IAEA says has been enriched to nearly weapons-grade level.
So far, Iran has not informed the agency where this material is being stored or in what condition it remains following the strikes.
At a news conference after the talks concluded, the Iranian foreign minister demanded “impartiality, independence and professionalism” from the IAEA.
He emphasized that in the event of “hostile actions against Iran” — including the reimposition of sanctions — Iran would consider the agreement terminated.
Germany, France and Britain have been threatening to reimpose UN sanctions unless Iran committed to serious negotiations on its nuclear programme.
Iran and Israel’s 12-day war
Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran in June, bombing key facilities in the nuclear programme alongside the United States, including the underground Fordow site.
The Israeli government justified the strikes as necessary to counter threats from Iran’s nuclear and missile programme. Many legal experts, however, deemed the war a violation of international law.
At the core of the nuclear dispute are Western fears that Iran may be seeking nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. Under the 2015 international nuclear agreement, Iran had once committed to curbing its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
But US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal during his first term, and the accord has not been effectively implemented for years.
Egypt: ‘Mutualtrust’ must be restored
Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdel-Atti said after the Cairo talks concluded that there was now “a new framework to restore cooperation between Iran and the IAEA.”
“The two sides expressed a clear will for dialogue and reaching practical understandings that would allow restoring mutual trust,” he added.
But, he warned, “the challenges are not over and the road remains long. The deal signed today is the beginning of a path that requires commitment from everybody.”
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