Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that a senior official from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Tehran on Monday for talks, but will not be allowed access to nuclear facilities.
The visit follows Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June, which halted IAEA inspections. Iran has accused the agency of enabling the attacks by releasing a critical report on May 31, which led the IAEA’s Board of Governors to declare Tehran in breach of its nuclear obligations.
Araghchi said the upcoming discussions will focus on creating a framework for cooperation, but nuclear site visits will remain suspended until an agreement is reached.
In July, Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, accusing the watchdog of failing to condemn Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear facilities. The strikes also disrupted nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, which were the highest-level discussions since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.
Iran has demanded guarantees against future military action before resuming talks. Araghchi confirmed that messages have been exchanged with the US about restarting negotiations, but no final decision has been made.
Meanwhile, European powers Germany, Britain, and France warned Iran on July 25 that they may trigger the deal’s “snapback” mechanism, reinstating UN sanctions by late August if no agreement is reached. The option expires in October, and Tehran has warned of unspecified consequences if it is activated.
