
UN nuclear watchdog official to visit Iran in a bid to improve ties but no inspections planned
There will be no inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities during the visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency scheduled for Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. The visit would be the first following Israel and Iran's 12-day war in June, when some of its key nuclear facilities were struck.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 3 ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the IAEA, after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities. The decision will likely further limit inspectors' ability to track Tehran's program that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
'As long as we haven't reached a new framework for cooperation, there will be no cooperation, and the new framework will definitely be based on the law passed by the Parliament,' Araghchi said.
State media last week quoted Aragchi as saying during a television program that Tehran would only allow for IAEA cooperation through the approval of the Supreme National Security Council, the country's highest security body.
Iran has had limited IAEA inspections in the past as a pressure tactic in negotiating with the West, and it is unclear how soon talks between Tehran and Washington for a deal over its nuclear program will resume.
U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency had assessed Iran last had an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The U.S. bombed three major Iranian nuclear sites in Iran in June as Israel waged an air war with Iran. Nearly 1,100 people were killed in Iran, including many military commanders and nuclear scientists, while 28 were killed in Israel.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Toronto Star
18 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
South Carolina lawmaker awaiting trial on child sex abuse material charges resigns from office
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina Republican lawmaker in jail awaiting trial on charges he distributed sexual abuse material involving children has resigned his seat in the state House. RJ May's resignation letter was dated Thursday but didn't arrive at the offices of House leadership until Monday morning.


Winnipeg Free Press
18 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
South Carolina lawmaker awaiting trial on child sex abuse material charges resigns from office
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina Republican lawmaker in jail awaiting trial on charges he distributed sexual abuse material involving children has resigned his seat in the state House. RJ May's resignation letter was dated Thursday but didn't arrive at the offices of House leadership until Monday morning. May wrote that 'it is in the best interests of my family and constituents to resign immediately.' It does not mention the 10 charges he faces or the more than a decade in prison that prosecutors have suggested May could face if convicted. The return address on the letter was May's Lexington post office box. He is currently being held at the Edgefield County jail without bond as he awaits trial as soon as next month. May's federal public defender did not respond to an email Monday. The three-term Republican is accused of using the screen name 'joebidennnn69' to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos. The files were uploaded and downloaded using May's home Wi-Fi network and his cellphone, prosecutors said. Some were hidden by the use of a private network but others were directly linked to his internet addresses. At his arraignment, May's lawyer suggested someone could have used the Wi-Fi password that was shown on a board behind a photo May's wife may have posted online. Each of the 10 charges carries a five-to-20-year prison sentence upon conviction. Calls for May's resignation were nearly unanimous in the South Carolina House, including members who were most closely aligned with May as he helped found the Freedom Caucus of the chamber's most conservative members. The House Ethics Committee last month started an investigation that appeared to be the first step in trying to kick May out of the House. May worked as a political consultant. He was elected in 2020 and in his five years in the House upset many mainstream Republicans as he continued to run campaigns for people looking to knock out incumbents in GOP primaries. The timing of May's resignation should allow his replacement to be chosen in a special election before the 2026 General Assembly session starts in January.


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Court upholds ruling requiring airline to compensate families of Flight PS752 victims
Ontario's highest court has upheld a ruling that found Ukraine International Airlines legally responsible to pay full compensation to families of victims who died in the downing of Flight PS752. On Jan. 8, 2020, the plane was shot down by two Iranian missiles just minutes after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Most of the passengers were bound for Canada, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents, while many others had connections to Canada. Last year, an Ontario court found that Ukraine International Airlines was negligent because it failed to conduct a proper risk assessment for the flight out of Tehran. The court found that decision meant the airline could not limit the amount of compensation it provided to families. The Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed the airline's appeal in a decision released today. Joe Fiorante, a lawyer representing some of the families in the case, called the ruling 'an important result' for those who lost loved ones in the incident. 'The ruling of the Court of Appeal brings a small measure of justice for the families,' Fiorante said in a press release. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025.