Key Points on the Recent Iran–IAEA Agreement

WANA (Sep 11) – Two nights ago, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, and Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced that they had reached an agreement on future cooperation. Several points can be highlighted about this deal:

1- Based on a law passed by parliament, Iran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA after the 12-day military attack in June and July 2025 on its nuclear facilities. Given the inaction and even mismanagement of the IAEA regarding that attack, this stance was — and still is — considered reasonable. The agreement reached last night sets out a new framework for future cooperation.

2- In a statement today, Grossi noted: “Being a safeguards implementing document, it is not a public one” — meaning that the full content of the agreement will not be made public, since it is a purely “technical and operational” arrangement.

Finalization of Iran-IAEA Understanding. Social media / WANA News Agency

3- The agreement falls within the framework of the NPT and does not go beyond it.

4- According to Grossi, the deal covers all of Iran’s nuclear facilities and includes reporting on the attacked sites and the nuclear material within them. However, Araghchi stressed that no new inspector access is being granted at this stage — except in the case of the Bushehr power plant due to fuel replacement. From Iran’s perspective, the agreement ensures its rights to control access and safeguard facility security, while only providing a technical basis for future reporting and negotiations.

5- Judging from both sides’ statements, the agreement appears to be technical and phased, not an immediate grant of full access. Iran accepts the framework but maintains control over facility security. Past attacks and ongoing security concerns have led to the inclusion of specific political and security conditions. The design of the agreement aims to create a diplomatic and operational path forward without making Iran feel that its sovereignty or internal security is at risk.

Finalization of Iran-IAEA Understanding. Social media / WANA News Agency

6- Overall, both Araghchi’s remarks and, to some extent, Grossi’s statements suggest that the agreement serves as a technical-operational framework for resuming cooperation, but its implementation will be gradual and tied to security and political conditions. Iran is trying to both maintain its international commitments under the NPT “for now” and ensure the security of its nuclear facilities.

7- Iran, through Araghchi, has officially declared that if the snapback mechanism is fully triggered and sanctions return, these practical steps will be halted. Therefore, one of the key conditions for the full implementation of the agreement is the non-activation of the snapback mechanism.