Third Round of Technical Talks Between Iran and the IAEA Held in Vienna
WANA (Sep 07) – The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that the third round of technical talks between Iran and the Agency has been held.
Reza Najafi stated that the third round of discussions took place in Vienna on Friday and Saturday, with the aim of drafting a protocol for implementing Iran’s safeguards commitments under the new circumstances following the unlawful attacks by the Israeli regime and the United States on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and in line with the resolution passed by the Iranian Parliament on this matter.
He added that during this round, the two sides exchanged views on the points contained in the draft protocol.
In July, the Iranian Parliament passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA, in response to the attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran’s nuclear facilities and the failure of the Agency’s Director General to condemn this unlawful action.
According to this law, the government is obliged to halt cooperation with the Agency until the specific conditions outlined in the resolution are met.
Iran and the IAEA have since launched negotiations to reach a new framework on how to continue their cooperation.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, previously explained: “We are planning the way forward. Naturally, our relations with the IAEA were disrupted after the attacks. Our nuclear facilities came under attack, and therefore, cooperation with the Agency cannot continue as before.”
He described the recent talks with the IAEA as moving forward and said: “We are very close to reaching a new framework of cooperation with the Agency itself. Based on the law passed by the honorable Parliament, within its legal framework, and also considering the on-the-ground realities and the changes that have taken place, we hope to start a new phase of cooperation with the Agency—one that fully addresses our concerns, as explicitly reflected in the Parliament’s law.”
