Daijiworld Media Network- Tehran
Tehran, Aug 28: Iran on Wednesday clarified that the return of UN nuclear inspectors does not mark a full resumption of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which had been suspended following the June strikes carried out by Israel and the United States.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirmed that inspectors had resumed work at the Bushehr nuclear facility in southwestern Iran, the first such visit since Tehran halted cooperation last month. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no final agreement had yet been reached on a new cooperation framework.
The suspension of ties with the agency followed Israel’s unprecedented June 13 attacks on Iranian nuclear and military sites, which killed more than 1,000 people. The United States later joined the strikes, targeting Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. Iran retaliated with missile and drone barrages that killed dozens in Israel, before a ceasefire was reached on June 24.
Under Iran’s new law, IAEA inspectors may access nuclear sites only with approval from the Supreme National Security Council. Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said inspectors would oversee fuel replacement at Bushehr but did not confirm access to other sensitive sites.
Grossi, speaking in Washington, insisted that Iran could not limit inspections to “non-attacked facilities” and warned that inspection work cannot be selective. Discussions on allowing access to sites such as Fordo and Natanz remain ongoing.
The inspectors’ return came a day after Iranian diplomats held talks in Geneva with Britain, France and Germany, where European officials raised the possibility of reimposing UN sanctions through the “snapback mechanism” of the 2015 nuclear deal. The deadline for triggering the mechanism closes on October 18.
Meanwhile, Russia has circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution seeking to extend the deadline by six months to allow space for renewed diplomacy. Moscow said the proposal was a test for those committed to a negotiated solution and those seeking to advance “selfish agendas against Iran.”