Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency reached on Tuesday an agreement on resuming inspections at uranium enrichment facilities hit by Israeli and U.S. bombs.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi agreed to a cooperation framework at a meeting in Cairo, Egypt. Tuesday’s meeting followed three rounds of negotiations between the two parties and should be the first step in resuming inspections after Iran’s devastating war with Israel in June.
Mr. Araghchi and Mr. Grossi offered few details on the deal. Mr. Grossi said the IAEA had agreed to “practical modalities” to finalize the deal, but he did not elaborate.
Mr. Araghchi asserted that the deal comes with strings attached: If U.N.-backed “snapback” sanctions are implemented, cooperation would be suspended once again.
“Let me emphasize: In the event of any hostile action against Iran — including the reinstatement of cancelled U.N. Security Council resolutions — Iran will consider these practical steps null and void,” Mr. Araghchi said in a statement.
Iran’s parliament passed a bill in July that officially halted cooperation with IAEA inspectors. Under the new law, IAEA inspectors would need to go through Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to perform inspections.
In response, France, Germany and the United Kingdom threatened to reimpose harsh U.N.-backed sanctions, also known as snapback sanctions, at the end of August unless Tehran made progress on key demands. Those demands include restarting talks with the U.S., accounting for its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and resuming nuclear inspections.
The European nations triggered the snapback mechanism at the end of August after two rounds of negotiations yielded few results. The process takes 30 days before the sanctions take effect. European leaders have indicated that they would work to suspend the snapback process if Iran meets its demands.
That could be a difficult proposition for Iran, which is facing a divided political class, severe economic pressures and little diplomatic leverage. While Tehran has made significant progress by allowing IAEA inspectors back in the country, the inspectors may have trouble accounting for Iran’s stockpiles.
Earlier this week, Tehran admitted that it did not have access to its stockpiles. The large-scale Israeli attacks, supported by U.S. bombers, may have trapped Iran’s stockpiles underground, where they were housed during the June war.
Additionally, while some Iranian officials have indicated support for resuming negotiations with Washington, U.S. demands are a non-starter for many in Iran. Tehran and Washington held five rounds of talks earlier this year before they were interrupted by the June war. The U.S. has maintained that Iran should give up its ability to enrich uranium and restrict its missile program.
Iran has long insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful and purely for civilian purposes. However, the U.S. and other Western nations have accused Tehran of developing a nuclear program to create a nuclear weapon.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.