TEHRAN, September 9. /TASS/. Tehran is ready to work out a new protocol for interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) following the suspension of the agency’s inspections of Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty.
"The two ministers discussed the Iranian nuclear problem. Emphasizing Iran’s principles position on the defense of its rights and interests under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Iranian foreign minister expressed his country’s readiness to elaborate a protocol of relations between Iran and the IAEA in the new environment following the United States and the Zionist regime’s (Israel - TASS) illegal attacks in line with the law [on suspending cooperation with the agency] that was passed by parliament," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the sides also discussed issues of the normalization of bilateral relations. Both top diplomats reiterated their commitment to continue efforts to strengthen ties between Tehran and Cairo.
Araghchi arrived in Egypt on Tuesday. According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, Araghchi’s program in Cairo also includes talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and a meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who said ahead of this meeting that he hoped that an agreement on restoring the agency’s presence in Iran would be reached soon.
In the early morning hours of June 13, Israel launched a military operation against Iran. Less than 24 hours later, Iran retaliated. Nine days later, on the morning of June 22, US jets attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities, at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, entering the conflict. The following evening, Tehran launched a missile strike on Al Udeid, the largest US military airbase in the region, located in Qatar. According to the US authorities, there were no casualties or significant damage. Later, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a complete ceasefire, which went into effect on June 24.
The agency did not condemn the US and Israeli attack, which infuriated Iran. It accused the IAEA of political bias and on July 2, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA. However, later, the sides engaged in consultations to outline potential cooperation formats under Iran’s new laws.