WANA (Jul 23) – Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced that a technical team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will travel to Iran within the next two to three weeks to discuss future cooperation between Iran and the agency.

 

Speaking to American media reporters on Wednesday local time, Gharibabadi, who serves as Iran’s Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs, stated that the IAEA delegation’s visit aims to engage in discussions on the modalities of future collaboration.

 

He also noted that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is currently assessing the damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a result of recent attacks by Israel and the United States.

 

Gharibabadi described the upcoming meeting between Iran and the three European countries, scheduled for Friday, as highly significant. He said the representatives of the E3 (France, Germany, and the UK) had reached out to Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi a few days earlier, expressing interest in finding a way to manage the current situation.

 

The senior Iranian diplomat did not rule out the possibility of resuming talks with the United States, but emphasized that preparing the groundwork for a sixth round of negotiations is essential. He added that Iran should not be subjected to attacks during the talks and stressed the need for both sides to agree that any outcome must benefit both countries.

 

He stated that Tehran has not made any decision to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but stressed that the implementation of Iran’s commitments under the current circumstances requires new discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

“We have not decided to leave the NPT. We have certain obligations. But how those obligations should be implemented under new conditions must be addressed in fresh talks with the IAEA,” Gharibabadi said. “Our Parliament has passed a law requiring that all cooperation with the Agency be suspended unless two conditions are met: the safety and security of nuclear facilities and personnel.”

 

He confirmed that Iran remains in contact with the IAEA to discuss a new framework for engagement under the evolving circumstances. “In this context, we have agreed to receive a technical delegation from the IAEA in the next two to three weeks to discuss this process,” he said.

 

“This is yet another gesture of goodwill from Iran,” Gharibabadi added, “despite our dissatisfaction with the Agency’s approach. We hope this move will be welcomed and that our goodwill will be valued.”

 

On Tuesday, responding to journalists’ questions about the upcoming meeting between Iran and the European Troika, Gharibabadi explained: “Following calls from the foreign ministers of the three European countries as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs to Foreign Minister Araghchi, this meeting was scheduled.”

 

The senior Iranian diplomat added: “We agreed to meet Friday morning in Istanbul to discuss both diplomatic issues and the so-called ‘snapback mechanism,’ as the Europeans have recently raised this topic. Naturally, we will present our positions clearly.”

 

He emphasized: “From our perspective, any attempt to activate the snapback mechanism would be completely unlawful. It holds no legal standing. The JCPOA has not been implemented for the past seven years, and the European parties suspended their obligations after the U.S. withdrawal. What are they trying to claim now? What is it that Iran supposedly didn’t implement? Did they fulfill their own commitments under the deal to begin with?”

 

Gharibabadi concluded: “We have previously warned about the consequences of such actions, and we will reiterate them. Nevertheless, our effort will be to explore possible shared solutions to manage the current situation.”