Iran says deputy head of UN nuclear watchdog to visit Monday

TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday the deputy head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog will arrive in Tehran the following day.

The visit will be the first by a senior official from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since Iran suspended cooperation with the body last month in the wake of the 12-day war with Israel.

“Our talks with the Agency tomorrow will focus on a new cooperation framework… Until we reach an agreement on a new framework, cooperation will not begin,” Araghchi told reporters.

Iran says no threat to UN nuclear watchdog chief, inspectors

He said there were “no inspections or visits” of nuclear sites planned for the official.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas over the course of the war.

US forces joined with attacks on nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.

Last month, Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the IAEA citing the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Israel’s attack derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States which had begun in April.

The talks had been the highest-level contact between Tehran and Washington since the United States abandoned in 2018 a landmark agreement on Iran’s nuclear activities.

Since the 12-day war, Iran has demanded guarantees against military action before resuming any negotiations with the US.

Araghchi recently said Iran has “received messages” from the US side on the resumption of talks, and on Sunday, he said that “nothing has been finalised” on that matter.

On July 25, Iranian diplomats met with counterparts from Germany, Britain, and France who have threatened to trigger sanctions against Tehran by the end of August if it fails to reach a deal on its nuclear programme.

The so-called “snapback mechanism” would reinstate UN sanctions under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

The option expires in October and Tehran has warned of consequences should it be activated.

“Our contact with the Europeans is ongoing,” said Araghchi on Sunday, adding that a date for the next round of talks has yet to be set.