ALBAWABA - Days after Iran banned IAEA-assigned inspectors from entering the country, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday that Iran has no issue with the UN nuclear watchdog’s inspection of its nuclear sites.
On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, Ibrahim Raisi held a press conference, where he told the journalists: "We [Iran] have no problem with the inspections but the problem is with some inspectors ... those inspectors that are trustworthy can continue their work in Iran,".
"Tehran’s decision [to ban inspectors from entering] was in reaction to some unfair statements by the Western members of the IAEA," Riaisi added.
Tehran's move, known as the "de-designation" of inspectors, is lawful; under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and each country's safeguards agreement with the agency in charge of inspections, member states can generally veto inspectors assigned to visit their nuclear facilities.
"Today’s meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries can also be a chapter to start and revive relations between the two countries" Raisi added.
Earlier in the day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian at Egypt's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
In a time of continuous instability, Amirabdollahian stated that boosting connections "will serve common interests," while Shoukry emphasized the need to cooperate with all countries in the region.
Egypt-Iran relations have usually been strained in recent decades, despite the fact that the two nations have maintained diplomatic connections.
"In order to strengthen relations with neighboring, Muslim, and aligned countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran will extend its hand to any country that want to cooperate with us," President Raisi added.
