ALBAWABA-The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Wednesday that its inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since Tehran suspended cooperation earlier this summer.
Iran rejects Australia’s accusations of orchestrating antisemitic attacks, vows reciprocal measuresIAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told Fox News that “the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran and we are about to restart,” adding that discussions were underway on “practical modalities” for resuming inspections at both damaged and undamaged nuclear sites.
The decision followed a visit earlier this month by IAEA Deputy Director Massimo Aparo, who traveled to Tehran for the first time since cooperation was formally suspended, holding talks with Iranian officials on a new monitoring arrangement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that the Supreme National Security Council had approved the inspectors’ entry, noting their primary task was to supervise the replacement of nuclear fuel rods at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.
Araghchi had earlier said Iran could not “completely end” dealings with the IAEA, even after suspending cooperation in June during the Israeli-led war.
Tehran insists that future cooperation will proceed under a “new framework” that emphasizes security concerns, citing evidence that the IAEA’s use of Palantir’s MOSAIC data system blurred the line between monitoring and espionage.
The announcement coincided with a second round of talks in Geneva between Iranian officials and European diplomats from France, Germany, and the UK. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said contacts would continue “in the coming days,” while European states pressed Tehran to resume full inspections in order to avert possible snapback sanctions.
The developments come in the shadow of the 12-day war launched by Israel on June 13, during ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. The United States joined the conflict on June 23 with bunker-buster strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.
While U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the sites had been “obliterated,” leaked US intelligence and European assessments later contradicted that assertion.
