Grossi: IAEA, Iran to resume cooperation in respectful, full manner
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The IAEA and Iran have agreed on new inspection protocols following attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, marking a shift toward renewed technical collaboration.
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Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi looks on during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Tuesday, September 9, 2025. (AP)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said Wednesday that a new agreement with Tehran will grant inspectors access to all of Iran’s nuclear facilities and require the country to account for nuclear material located at sites targeted by Israeli strikes earlier this year.
The deal was announced Tuesday following a meeting in Cairo between Grossi, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Although the full details have not yet been published, Grossi told the IAEA’s Board of Governors in Vienna that the document “provides for a clear understanding for the procedures of inspection notifications and their implementation.”
Director General @rafaelmgrossi's statement to the Board of Governors regarding agreement with Foreign Minister @araghchi on practical modalities to resume IAEA inspection activities in Iran. pic.twitter.com/nY0pLm10OX
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) September 10, 2025
The accord, he said, “includes all facilities and installations in Iran, and it also contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked facilities, including the nuclear material present at those.” Grossi added that this will “open the way for the respective inspections and access,” though he did not specify a timeline.
'A simple bureaucratic step'
Grossi emphasized the importance of the arrangement: “The technical nature of this document does not diminish its profound significance. Iran and the agency will now resume cooperation in a respective and comprehensive way. These practical steps, allow me to state the obvious, need to be implemented now.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed legislation on July 2 suspending cooperation with the UN watchdog following “Israel’s” 12-day war aggression on Iran back in June, during which joint Israeli-US strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
Grossi acknowledged that restoring cooperation “would not be an automatic or simple bureaucratic step,” describing the suspension as “inevitable” in the aftermath of the attacks.
At the same time, Grossi welcomed Iran’s stated commitment to remain within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), calling it “encouraging.” He emphasized that the agency must consider Tehran’s concerns while ensuring compliance with its legal obligations under the NPT safeguards agreement.
Grossi concluded with cautious optimism, saying the resumption of inspections could serve “as a positive signal, a reference point, and an indication that agreements and understandings are possible.” He also said that dialogue remains vital to achieving durable solutions to global security challenges.
Iran slams what it describes as the IAEA's unconstructive approach
Iran’s representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, recently criticized Grossi’s newest reports, which were submitted to the Board of Governors, calling them “once again outside the legal and professional framework, based on a distorted narrative, and a continuation of the previous unconstructive approach that led to disastrous results.”
Najafi added that the Agency’s negligence and failure to take necessary measures had caused damage to Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities, as well as significant human losses, despite Tehran’s prior warnings.
Regarding the Agency’s inspectors, Najafi said their unlawful conduct in removing highly classified documents from the facility and transferring them outside Iran constituted a violation of Iran’s security protocol.
He pointed out that the right to object to the appointment of IAEA inspectors is explicitly recognized under Article 9(a)(ii).
Iran reiterates its full commitment to the NPT
Furthermore, the Iranian envoy reaffirmed his country’s full commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement but stressed that Tehran expects the Agency “not to bow to political pressure and to remain neutral and professional.”
He further stated that “the unjustified military aggression imposed on Iran has fundamentally changed the landscape and affected many areas, including the manner and procedures for implementing the safeguards agreement,” adding: “To address this matter, Iran and the Agency have entered into negotiations which, if concluded fairly and professionally by both parties, will pave the way for continued cooperation.”
Najafi also noted that, while there is no legal limit to the level of uranium enrichment, the Director General “has repeatedly, and without any legal basis, expressed concern about Iran’s safeguarded enrichment activities.”
He expressed surprise that Grossi had refrained from voicing any regret over the clear attacks against safeguarded Iranian nuclear facilities, which have complicated even his own verification activities.
Najafi concluded his remarks by saying the Agency is expected to continue negotiations with Iran in a constructive manner and avoid anything that could undermine this approach, “including selectively reflecting parts of the draft text, which has not yet been finalized.”
