IAEA official to visit Iran for talks, nuclear site access not included

A senior official from the UN nuclear watchdog will travel to Iran on Monday for discussions, but no visits to nuclear sites are planned, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.

Since Israel carried out its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been able to access Iranian facilities. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said inspections remain his top priority.

Iran has accused the agency of helping pave the way for the bombings by releasing a critical report on May 31. That report led the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons and says it remains committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“Negotiations with the IAEA will be held tomorrow to determine a framework for cooperation,” Araghchi said on his Telegram account. “A Deputy Director General of Grossi will come to Tehran tomorrow, while there are no plans to visit any nuclear sites until we reach a framework.”

Last month, Iran officially suspended cooperation with the IAEA, saying the agency failed to condemn Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Israel’s attack also disrupted nuclear talks between Iran and the US, which had been the highest-level contact between the two countries since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.

Since the 12-day war, Iran has demanded guarantees against military action before resuming talks with Washington. Araghchi said Iran has “received messages” from the US about restarting negotiations, but “nothing has been finalised.”

On July 25, Iranian diplomats met officials from Germany, Britain, and France, who warned they could trigger sanctions against Tehran by the end of August if no deal is reached.

The “snapback mechanism” would restore UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal. This option expires in October, and Tehran has warned of consequences if it is used.

“Our contact with the Europeans is ongoing,” Araghchi said, adding that a date for the next round of talks has not been decided.

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