Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a senior official from the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will arrive in Tehran on Monday for talks — but will not be granted access to nuclear facilities.
The visit comes after Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June halted IAEA inspections. Tehran has accused the agency of “paving the way” for the attacks by issuing a critical May 31 report that led the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its nuclear obligations.
Araghchi, posting on Telegram, said negotiations aim to “determine a framework for cooperation,” but nuclear site visits will remain suspended until that framework is agreed.
Cooperation suspended after strikes
In July, Iran formally suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, citing the watchdog’s failure to condemn Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear facilities. The strikes derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the US, the highest-level engagement since Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tehran has since demanded guarantees against future military action before resuming talks. Araghchi said Iran has “received messages” from the US about restarting negotiations but “nothing has been finalised.”
European threat of sanctions
On July 25, Iranian diplomats met with officials from Germany, Britain, and France, who warned they may trigger the nuclear deal’s “snapback” mechanism — reinstating UN sanctions — by late August if no agreement is reached. The option expires in October, and Iran has warned of unspecified consequences if it is activated.
