WANA (Nov 20) – Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, announced that Tehran has sent an official letter to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), declaring that the Cairo Agreement with the agency is no longer valid and should be considered ended.

 

The move comes in reaction to an anti-Iranian resolution adopted at the IAEA Board of Governors by the United States and three European countries, despite opposition and abstention from 15 members.

 

Araghchi described the action as illegal and unjustified, stating that these countries, by disregarding Iran’s engagement and goodwill, have undermined the credibility and independence of the IAEA and disrupted the framework of cooperation between the agency and Iran.

 

He added that although the Cairo Agreement had already lost practical relevance following the European trio’s illegal attempt at the UN Security Council to reinstate previously repealed resolutions, Iran’s formal letter now explicitly confirms that the agreement is no longer valid and should be considered ended.

 

Earlier, Reza Najafi, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, described the Board’s political and unconstructive resolution against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program as “an illegitimate effort by the European trio and the United States to compensate for the snapback failure in New York.”

 

Najafi emphasized that the IAEA Director General’s recent report clearly shows that the current situation is a direct result of illegal and provocative attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran’s safeguarded facilities. The report states that the suspension of verification activities and the withdrawal of inspectors were unavoidable consequences of these attacks, with decisions made by the agency based on security considerations.

 

He explained that the IAEA confirmed that due to the security implications of the attacks, normal safeguards implementation has become nearly impossible, and inspectors were forced to leave entirely. Nevertheless, Iran has facilitated the resumption of verification activities through constructive cooperation.

 

All IAEA requests for access to facilities unaffected by the attacks have been approved, and inspectors have been given full access as usual. The Director General acknowledged Iran’s domestic legal obligations and confirmed respect for these frameworks while emphasizing the agency’s readiness to consider Iran’s security concerns.

 

Najafi criticized the United States and three European countries for attempting to ignore these facts and create the impression that conditions are normal, as if no attacks on safeguarded nuclear facilities containing nuclear material had occurred. He stressed that these countries continue to issue arrogant and irresponsible demands of Iran while the situation remains far from normal.

 

The Iranian ambassador noted that the U.S. and three European countries have once again drafted a resolution clearly aimed at exerting excessive pressure on Iran and promoting a completely misleading narrative of the current situation.

 

He added that the sponsors of the resolution have deliberately ignored the attacks on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities and have not referred to the content of the IAEA’s official report, which explicitly documents U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025.

 

Najafi stated that these countries intentionally avoid acknowledging their aggressive actions, as one of the aggressors is a primary backer of the draft resolution, seeking to mislead members and evade responsibility for illegal actions.

 

He said that when the United States and the three European countries are unwilling or unable, due to their arrogant approach, to recognize the root causes of the current situation, they are certainly not in a position to dictate solutions to resolve the crisis.

 

He further emphasized that the submitted text is nothing more than a repetition of these countries’ political positions, a distortion of safeguards obligations, and an illegitimate attempt to raise the so-called snapback issue at the IAEA. The resolution cannot enable the U.S. and three European members to compensate for their illegal snapback failure in New York.

 

Referring to official statements by the U.S. president, Najafi stressed that Washington has not only openly claimed responsibility for aggressive attacks on Iran but also takes pride in these violent acts, demonstrating that their diplomatic claims are merely a cover for unlawful and provocative measures.

 

Najafi concluded by reaffirming that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always demonstrated readiness for meaningful engagement and diplomacy when it observes goodwill, seriousness, and constructive approaches from its counterparts.

 

However, he said, the co-authors of the draft resolution, relying on the illusion of pressure and threats, have chosen the wrong path, interpreting diplomacy as depriving Iran of its legitimate rights—a stance that the Iranian people have never accepted and will never accept.

 

Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the IAEA, in separate remarks, also said the resolution proposed by the three European countries and the United States “has no added value and does nothing to improve the current situation; on the contrary, it will have entirely negative effects, and they will see that Iran will respond to it.”

 

Reza Najafi stated that Iran views the resolution as “a completely political move” and affirmed that Tehran “will certainly deliver the necessary response.”

Iran’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Iran’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi. Social media/ WANA News Agency