On Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Bader Abdel-Aty, announced that Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have signed an agreement to resume cooperation between the two parties.
Abdel-Aty stated that Cairo hosted a significant regional meeting involving Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, during which they formalized the agreement to restart collaborative efforts. This agreement is seen as a new practical framework aimed at restoring trust and cooperation between Iran and the IAEA.
Egypt expressed optimism that the newly signed agreement could pave the way for a renewed negotiation process regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
During a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Cairo, Abdel-Aty mentioned, “We hope this agreement opens the door for reconciling views with the three European countries, facilitating a mutual understanding that leads to negotiations between Iran and the United States, ultimately resulting in a comprehensive and satisfactory agreement.”
Iran had previously announced a formal suspension of its cooperation with the IAEA after President Masoud Pezeshkian endorsed a law approved by parliament in response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and scientists during the recent conflict with Israel in June.
The IAEA expressed growing concerns regarding the fate of high-enriched uranium in Iran following the attacks on its nuclear installations.
In a recent report released earlier this month, Grossi called for inspectors to be granted unrestricted access to those materials.
IAEA inspectors had departed Iran following the Israeli and U.S. attacks in June, and Tehran had ceased its collaboration with the Vienna-based IAEA.