Iran says it cannot fully cut IAEA ties despite law limiting inspections

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that his country cannot “completely cut our cooperation with the agency”, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), even after parliament passed legislation suspending future inspections without security council approval.

“Inspectors must be there to get this work done,” Araqchi told state media, though he did not elaborate on how this would happen under the new constraints.

His comments follow the June conflict that saw Iranian nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the U.S. during a 12-day war, after which IAEA inspectors were blocked from access. The IAEA has insisted inspections are vital, with Director General Rafael Grossi repeatedly stating their importance to ensure transparency.

Iran’s parliament approved the new law after accusing the IAEA of fuelling the June strikes. Officials said a 31 May agency report led to the Board of Governors declaring Tehran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, which Iran interpreted as justification for the attacks.

Under the new rules, any future access by IAEA personnel must be cleared by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Despite this, Iran has signalled it will continue talks with the agency. A foreign ministry spokesperson said this week that a new round of negotiations is expected “in the coming days”.

On the subject of nuclear negotiations with Washington, Araqchi said talks “needed to reach maturity” before resuming. Talks were suspended following the joint Israeli-U.S. strikes in June, which had derailed what would have been the sixth round of discussions.

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