Tehran All Set for ‘Complicated’ Nuclear Talks as IAEA Returns After War

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said that upcoming talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be “technical” and “complicated.” The comments came ahead of a rare visit by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog — the first since Tehran cut ties with it last month after the June conflict triggered by Israeli strikes.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters on Monday that there could be a meeting with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the visit. However, he said it was too early to predict the outcome, as the talks would focus on complex technical matters.

Iran Had Suspended Relations With IAEA in July

This visit is the first since President Masoud Pezeshkian suspended cooperation with the IAEA on July 3. That decision followed a 12-day war with Israel, during which the United States carried out large-scale strikes in support of Israel on key Iranian nuclear sites.

In an interview with Al Jazeera last month, Pezeshkian said Iran was ready for any future war Israel might start. He expressed little hope for the current ceasefire and stressed that Iran would continue its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes. He accused Israel of trying to destroy Iran’s leadership by killing senior military officers and nuclear scientists, as well as damaging facilities and causing civilian casualties, but said the effort “completely failed.”

Iran Will Continue Nuclear Program for Peaceful Purpose

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state media that Massimo Aparo, the IAEA’s deputy director general and head of safeguards, had already left Iran. During his visit, Aparo met with Iranian officials from both the Foreign Ministry and the IAEA to discuss “the method of interaction” between the two sides. Gharibabadi said they had agreed to continue consultations, but gave no further details.

The IAEA has not yet released a statement on Aparo’s trip, which did not include access to nuclear sites.

Tensions between Iran and the IAEA worsened after the agency’s board ruled on June 12 that Iran had violated its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. The decision came just a day before Israeli air strikes on Iran that sparked the conflict.

Baghaei criticised the IAEA for failing to respond to the Israeli attacks.

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