Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency discuss new cooperation framework
Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency held talks on Tehran's new framework for cooperation with the IAEA.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced in a statement that the Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency will come to Tehran today, Monday, August 11, to discuss only determining a new framework for cooperation with Iran, and that there are no plans to visit nuclear facilities during this trip.
Araghchi said in his remarks: "Negotiations with the Atomic Energy Agency will be held on Monday to determine the framework for cooperation. Deputy Secretary Grossi will come to Tehran on this day, and there are no plans to visit a place through which we will not reach a framework and cooperation will not begin. This framework will be based on the law of the Islamic Consultative Assembly."
The background to this issue goes back to July 2, when Iranian President Masoud Pezzekian, in response to US and Israeli attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities, issued a law “obliging the government to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.” This measure effectively halted Iran’s cooperation with the agency, and just two days later, the agency announced that it had withdrawn a number of its inspectors from Iran.
Despite the announcement by the doctors that they were suspending cooperation with the IAEA, Araghchi told Fox News on July 22: “We have not stopped cooperating with the IAEA and we will continue to cooperate with them, but we need a new method because the facilities have been destroyed.” He also stressed that future inspections of nuclear facilities by inspectors would be conducted on a case-by-case basis and after careful consideration by the Supreme National Security Council, an issue he said was due to security and safety concerns.
In another part of his remarks, Araghchi addressed negotiations with the European Troika, saying that contacts are continuing, but the Europeans have brought up the issue of “snapback,” or the automatic return of sanctions. He described Iran’s position as follows: “Snapback is not relevant. Europe is not considered a participant in the JCPOA in our view.” According to him, technical and legal talks are underway, but no specific time has been set for the next round of negotiations.
This comes while France, Britain, and Germany have warned that if there is no tangible progress in nuclear negotiations with Tehran by the end of the summer, they will activate the mechanism for returning sanctions.
Regarding the possibility of talks with the United States, Araqchi also clarified: "Nothing has been finalized yet about negotiations with America."
