Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi in Egypt on Tuesday. This will be their first meeting since Iran suspended cooperation with the agency two months ago. The meeting aims to conclude negotiations on a new protocol for future interaction between Iran and the IAEA, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
Egypt’s foreign ministry confirmed that the meeting will also include Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. This marks the first direct engagement between Tehran and the IAEA since Iran halted cooperation following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June. During this war, Israeli and U.S. strikes targeted Iranian nuclear sites, escalating regional tensions.
Tehran criticized the IAEA for not condemning the strikes and said future cooperation will take a “new form.” Last month, IAEA inspectors briefly visited Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant but were denied access to key sites such as Fordo and Natanz, which suffered damage during the conflict.
Meanwhile, Iran faces mounting pressure to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. Britain, France, and Germany have initiated steps to reimpose UN sanctions through the deal’s dispute mechanism. They warn they may trigger the “snapback” clause, accusing Iran of violating its nuclear commitments.
Iran condemned these moves as “illegal” and warned they could further harm cooperation with the IAEA. Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies, insisting its program is for peaceful use only.