Visit by deputy head of the Atomic Energy Agency does not include inspection, says Iranian Foreign Minister.

247 - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that the deputy director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Tehran on Monday (11), but stressed that this visit will not include an inspection of Iranian nuclear facilities until a formal cooperation framework is established between the two sides. The statement was made at a press conference on Sunday, according to a report by HispanTV.

"Negotiations will be held with the IAEA to define a cooperation framework. A deputy director-general under [Rafael] Grossi will visit Tehran, although there are no plans to visit any nuclear facilities until we reach a bilateral cooperation framework," Araqchi emphasized. He added that this framework will be based on a law passed by the Iranian Parliament.

Araqchi also commented on the controversy surrounding the reactivation of UN sanctions against Iran. According to him, although European countries have raised this issue, Iran maintains its position that the mechanism is invalid. "In our opinion, Europe does not consider itself a participant in the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). Of course, there are technical and legal discussions that my colleagues are having with the Europeans, but there is still no set date for the next negotiations," he stated.

When asked about direct negotiations with the United States, Araqchi was clear: "nothing has been finalized yet regarding negotiations with the US."