A senior official from the UN Nuclear watchdog will fly to Iran for conversations on Monday, but there is no visit to nuclear places planned, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.
Since Israel launched its first military strikes in Iran’s nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June, inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been able to access Iran’s facilities, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, saying that inspections remain his highest priority.
Iran has accused the Agency of effectively paving the way for the bombing by issuing a damn report on May 31, which led to the IAEA’s 35 nations Board Council declaring Iran in violation of its non-dispersal obligations.
Iran, who denies seeking nuclear weapons, said it remained obliged to the nuclear non-spreading treaty (NPT).
“Negotiations with the IAEA will be held tomorrow to decide a framework for cooperation,” Araghchi said in his telegram account.
“A Deputy Director of Grossi will come to Tehran tomorrow, while there are no plans to visit any nuclear places before we reach a frame.”
Last month, Iran officially suspended its collaboration with IAEA, citing the agency’s lack of condemnation of Israeli and US strikes in Iranian nuclear places.
Israeli attacks derailed nuclear conversations between Iran and the United States, which had begun in April.
The negotiations had been the highest contact between Tehran and Washington since the United States gave up a landmark agreement on Iran’s nuclear activities in 2018.
Since the 12-day war, Iran has demanded guarantees against military action before resuming any negotiations with the United States.
Araghchi recently said Iran has “received messages” from the US side by resuming conversations, and on Sunday he said “nothing has ended” in that case.
On July 25, Iranian diplomats met with colleagues from Germany, Britain and France, who have threatened to trigger sanctions against Tehran at the end of August if it is unable to reach an agreement on his nuclear program.
The so-called “snapback mechanism” would reintroduce UN sanctions under a nuclear agreement in Moribund 2015 between Iran and the World Powers.
The option expires in October and Tehran has warned of consequences if it is activated.
“Our contact with Europeans is underway,” Araghchi said on Sunday, adding that a date for the next round of negotiations has not yet been set.
