TEHRAN( The COW News Digital) Iran announced its readiness to host a technical delegation from the UN nuclear watch-dog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the next two to three weeks, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said.
The visit is described as a “goodwill gesture” aiming to establish a new framework for cooperation between Tehran and the IAEA. It will focus on technical discussions rather than inspections of nuclear facilities.
The Deputy FM stated that the delegation will not be allowed to inspect any of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities. This falls in line with Tehran’s ongoing suspension of cooperation mandated by a recent parliamentary law.
“Given the new circumstances, fresh talks are necessary to implement commitments”, Gharibabadi said. He stated that resumption of cooperation depends on ensuring the safety of Iran’s nuclear facilities and personnel.
He added that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation is still assessing damage to its nuclear installations, a dangerous task complicated by radiation risks following recent attacks.The development comes in the aftermath of a sharp escalation in June known as the “12-Day War”. Israel launched surprise airstrikes on key Iranian military and scientists, as well as its nuclear sites. The US joined the fray in later days, targeting three Iranian key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.
Israel was accused for deliberately stalling fragile peace talks between Iran and the US. Iran also responded to Israeli unprovoked aggression with a series of its own drones and missile strikes.
The tit-for-tat continued for a fortnight before Trump intervened and indirectly pressurised the two reluctant sides into an uneasy truce.In recent days, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted that the US strikes, in what’s now known as Operation Midnight Hammer, caused significant damage to its nuclear sites after weeks of denying.Following the uneasy truce, a defiant Iranian parliament passed a law suspending all cooperation with the IAEA effectively expelling the agency.
Iran still insists it remained committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its right to peaceful nuclear activities.“The delegation will come to discuss modalities, not to visit the nuclear sites”, Gharibabadi said in New York, where he is attending the United Nations meetings.
He also noted ongoing efforts with European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal – which Trump pulled out of abruptly in 2018 – and ongoing indirect with the US; mediated by Oman, and aimed at negotiating transparency and sanction relief.
