Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran has agreed to the visit by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) simply to monitor refuelling of its Bushehr nuclear power plant warning that return of nuclear sanctions will negatively affect its limited cooperation.
IAEA inspectors are in Iran “only to monitor replacing the spent fuel of Bushehr nuclear plant”, he said, after the Supreme National Security Council agreed with their visit based on the Parliament’s legislation on limiting the relations with the agency.
“The new cooperation agreement with the agency has not been finalised. Iran and IAEA have so far exchanged ideas on the new modality of bilateral cooperation which is being prepared,” he told reporters following a meeting with members of the Parliamentary Committee of National Security and Foreign Policy on Wednesday.
The minister’s statements were made after the reaction of a number of lawmakers to the visit of the agency’s inspectors following the legislation which has suspended Tehran’s cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
The visit took place after two rounds of talks between Iran and IAEA in Tehran and Vienna in August while both sides have been working to finalise the new cooperation documents including visiting the civilian nuclear sites.
Iran retaliated by suspending its ties with the agency after Israel and the U.S. bombed its nuclear sites in June and criticized the UN agency for failing to condemn the attacks on its facilities under the agency’s safeguards.
Tehran slammed the IAEA for issuing a resolution on its non-compliance of obligations in June which Tehran says served as a pretext to attacks on the non-military nuclear sites days later.
The Iranian foreign minister also warned that Tehran is prepared for both scenarios of interaction or confrontation if France, Germany and the UK which are parties of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) decide to apply for re-imposition sanctions by the 31 August deadline.
“If the European powers activate the snapback mechanism on return of the UN nuclear sanctions, it will negatively affect Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA or block it,” Spokesman of the Parliamentary Committee of National Security and Foreign Policy Ebrahim Rezaei quoted Araghchi saying.
In New York, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric welcomed the presence of IAEA inspectors in Iran and expressed the hope that Tehran will totally cooperate with the agency and fulfill its obligations under Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In the meantime, Tehran has stepped up its diplomatic contacts with Beijing and Moscow which similar to the European powers are the JCPOA parties, and as permanent members of the UN Security Council can veto its resolutions.
Russia and has proposed a draft resolution to extend for six months the Resolution 2231 on Iran’s nuclear sanctions which expires in October.
Iranian and Russian presidents are due to meet each other as well as the Chinese president at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit meeting in Tianjin, China next week.
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Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's President said an Israeli strike killed 13 security personnel in Nabatieh.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei has declared a “decisive victory” over the U.S. and Israel, signalling a “new phase” in Tehran’s control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Uzbekistan is advancing plans to reduce the state’s role in the economy while introducing a VAT refund system for foreign visitors, as part of broader efforts to attract investment and boost tourism.
The European Union and Washington are nearing an agreement to coordinate the production and security of critical minerals, Bloomberg News reported on Friday (10 April).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming of Hezbollah.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to continue dialogue and avoid steps that could worsen tensions after China-hosted talks in Urumqi, with Kabul and Beijing saying the meetings focused on easing differences and improving relations.
Amid fragile calm, António Guterres urged constructive U.S.- Iran talks, while Pope Leo XIV warned violence is spreading. Lebanon's President said an Israeli strike killed 13 security personnel in Nabatieh.
Memorial events were held in Tehran’s main squares on Wednesday (8 April) to mark the 40th day since the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died during U.S.-Israeli attacks on 28 February.
Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to one daily flight to its airports until 31 May due to the Iran crisis, raising fears of significant revenue losses for Indian carriers, industry letters show.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry says the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged continued cooperation after talks in Kabul on aid coordination, bilateral ties and job creation.
Uzbekistan is advancing plans to reduce the state’s role in the economy while introducing a VAT refund system for foreign visitors, as part of broader efforts to attract investment and boost tourism.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the president of Kazakhstan, said on Friday (10 April) that a parliamentary election in the Central Asian country would take place in August but stopped short of naming an exact date.
Lebanon is sliding deeper into a food security crisis as ongoing regional conflict disrupts supply routes and drives up the cost of basic goods, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
Thousands of Palestinians returned to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem after Israel lifted a 40-day ban that had left one of Islam’s holiest sites largely closed.
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