Tehran has agreed to allow a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to travel to Iran for technical talks but not to inspect nuclear sites, Iran's foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
"The delegation will come to Iran to discuss the modality, not to go to the (nuclear) sites," deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told journalists in New York.
His remarks come after the IAEA said earlier this month that its team of inspectors had safely left Iran and returned to its headquarters in Vienna, following a new Iranian law that barred cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Gharibabad also addressed damage to Iran's nuclear sites following the June 22 US strikes on Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
“Our Atomic Energy Organization is currently assessing the damage to the nuclear installations, and we are waiting to receive their report. It is very dangerous work — we do not know what has happened there because of the radiation risks,” he said.
Asked whether Iran remains compliant with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Gharibabadi said Iran is committed to the treaty and, as such, should be allowed to exercise its rights, including uranium enrichment.
“We are a member of the NPT. We have obligations and rights… Enrichment is part of the rights of member states… Iran will enrich uranium in accordance with its needs,” he said.
Iran’s uranium enrichment program has long been a source of international tension.
While Tehran insists the program is for peaceful purposes, the IAEA argues that enrichment to high levels of purity lacks any civilian justification.
Renewed diplomacy
Gharibabadi will lead the Iranian delegation for talks with European powers in Istanbul on Friday - in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to salvage a deal and avert a return of United Nations sanctions against Iran.
Washington confirmed on Tuesday that it is coordinating closely with the E3 (Britain, France and Germany) ahead of the Istanbul talks, while remaining "ready to talk directly" to Tehran.
“The Iranian people stand to benefit from negotiating in good faith," state department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “The Iranian leadership has a window of opportunity to choose a path of peace and prosperity for their people.”
