No inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency are currently present in the country, Iran said on Monday, adding that future cooperation with the agency will be determined following an upcoming visit by a senior IAEA official.
“We are obliged to regulate our interactions with the agency based on the law passed by parliament,” the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said during his weekly briefing, referring to legislation that suspended IAEA access to nuclear sites.
In late June, Iran’s parliament approved a bill to suspend the country’s cooperation with the IAEA, a day after a ceasefire with Israel following 12 days of deadly war.
The bill, passed with 221 votes in favor, none against, and one abstention out of 223 members present, bars the UN nuclear watchdog’s inspectors from accessing Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iran also accused the agency chief Rafael Grossi of bias and failing to condemn the attacks.
No normal situation, Iran says
Baghaei said Monday that Iran’s nuclear facilities came under attack during the recent conflict, adding that the current situation is not normal and could raise concerns about ensuring the safety of international inspectors.
The scheduled visit, according to the ministry, expected within 10 days, will take place within the framework of technical cooperation.
However, Baghaei said, “The visit of IAEA representatives to Tehran is being carried out to examine the matter. We are facing an exceptional situation: for the first time in the history of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the operating facilities of a Non-Proliferation Treaty member state—facilities under 24-hour agency supervision—have come under unlawful attack by two nuclear-armed regimes."
The foreign ministry accused the IAEA of abandoning neutrality, failing to condemn the attacks, and enabling external pressure through its own actions.
‘Defensive capabilities not up for negotiation’
Iran would assess the outcome of the IAEA visit and make decisions about future cooperation in line with the binding parliamentary mandate, Baghaei added.
Any further negotiations must include demands for accountability and compensation over the strikes on nuclear infrastructure, he said.
Responding to recent comments by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who said Iran’s 60 percent enrichment has no civilian justification, Baghaei dismissed the remarks as politically motivated.
“He is in no position to cast doubt on Iran’s nuclear program,” the ministry spokesman said.
Iran’s defensive capabilities would not be subject to any negotiation, Baghaei said, criticizing the European parties to the nuclear deal for “inconsistency.”
While deputy foreign ministers remain in contact, he said, no date has been set for a next round of talks with the E3.
