Euronews:

By Jerry Fisayo-Bambi

Iran has had limited IAEA inspections in the past as a pressure tactic in negotiating with the West, and it is unclear how soon talks between Tehran and Washington for a deal over its nuclear programme will resume.

The deputy head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog will visit Iran to rekindle soured ties but the trip will not involve inspection of nuclear facilities, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.

The visit would be the first following the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict in June, when Israel and the US struck some of its key nuclear facilities.

“As long as we haven’t reached a new framework for cooperation, there will be no cooperation, and the new framework will definitely be based on the law passed by the parliament,” Araghchi said on Sunday.

Aragchi said that Tehran would only allow for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cooperation through the approval of the Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest security body, according to state-run media.

On 3 July, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the IAEA after the controversial strikes.
ADVERTISEMENT

Inspectors' access limited
The decision will likely further limit inspectors’ ability to track Tehran’s programme that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.

It is unclear when Tehran and Washington would resume negotiations for a nuclear programme deal, but Tehran has previously used limited IAEA inspections as a pressure tactic in negotiations with the West.

US intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency had assessed Iran last had an organised nuclear weapons programme in 2003, though experts said this year that Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60%—and was a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Go to link