UN watchdog to visit Iran as Tehran enforces new inspection restrictions
The announcement follows remarks by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who recently said Tehran is ready to resume technical discussions with the agency.
Baghaei stated that Iran will present a new framework for cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, based on a recently enacted law passed by parliament. Under the law, any future inspections of Iran's nuclear sites by the IAEA must be approved by the country's Supreme National Security Council.
The move comes amid heightened tensions following last month's "Israeli" and US airstrikes aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear program. The IAEA has repeatedly insisted it must be allowed to resume inspections, expressing concern over Iran's stockpile of roughly 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
Iran maintains its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and continues to deny any ambition to develop nuclear weapons. Baghaei emphasized that Iran, as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has the right to enrich uranium.
He also reiterated Iran's position that it may resume indirect talks with the United States if it serves the country's national interest. However, he confirmed that no new round of negotiations is currently planned. Five rounds of indirect talks hosted by Oman were suspended following the recent 12-day conflict between Iran and "Israel".
Tensions with the IAEA intensified after Grossi stated there was no evidence of a systematic Iranian effort to build a nuclear weapon. Iran has since accused the agency of being slow to respond and politically biased, claiming it provided justification for "Israeli" attacks.
'The agency betrayed the non-proliferation system and became a partner in the unjust war against Iran,' Baghaei said, referring to recent IAEA reports that Tehran claims were used as a pretext for military aggression.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
International backlash after Smotrich backs contentious West Bank settlement plan
'Israel's' finance minister backed plans on Thursday to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West Bank, calling for the territory's annexation in response to several countries' plans to recognise a Palestinian state. The United Nations chief warned that building 'Israeli' homes in the area would "put an end to" hopes for a two-state solution to the 'Israeli'-Palestinian conflict. 'Israel' has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition. 'Israeli' settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, while critics and the international community have warned construction on the roughly 12 square kilometres would undermine hopes for a contiguous future Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. The site sits between the ancient city and the 'Israeli' settlement of Maale Adumim, near routes connecting the north and south of the Palestinian territory. There are also separate, frozen plans to expand 'Israel's' separation barrier to envelop the area. "Those who want to recognise a Palestinian state today will receive a response from us on the ground... Through concrete actions: houses, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives," said Bezalel Smotrich, 'Israel's' finance minister, who was speaking at a pro-settlement event on the advancement of plans for the E1 parcel. "On this important day, I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, to abandon once and for all the idea of partitioning the country, and to ensure that by September, the hypocritical European leaders will have nothing left to recognise," the far-right figurehead added, using the Biblical term for the West Bank, which 'Israel' has occupied since 1967. Britain and France are among several countries to announce in recent weeks plans to recognise a Palestinian state later this year, saying they wanted to keep the two-state solution alive. 'Breach of international law' Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said "If this went ahead -- which we call on the Israeli government not to do... it would sever the northern and southern West banks." He added that "it would put an end to the prospects of a two-state solution". The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the plans and called for "genuine international intervention and the imposition of sanctions on the occupation to compel it to halt the implementation". "Colonial construction in the E1 area is a continuation of the occupation's plans to destroy the opportunity for the establishment of a Palestinian state," it added. The European Union's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the plan "further undermines the two-state solution while being a breach of international law" and called on 'Israel' to 'desist". Germany said it "strongly objects" to the plan and called on the 'Israeli' government to "stop settlement construction", while Saudi Arabia also condemned the move "in the strongest possible terms". 'Israeli' NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity in the West Bank, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution". The NGO said the final approval hearing would be held next Wednesday by a technical committee under the defence ministry that has already rejected all objections to the proposals. After the bureaucratic steps are completed, "infrastructure work in E1 could begin within a few months, and housing construction within about a year", Peace Now said. The West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as about 500,000 'Israeli' settlers.
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
Iran hacked former ‘Israeli' Justice Minister phone during June war: Hebrew media
Iranian operatives successfully hacked the phone of former 'Israeli' Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked during the 12-day war in June 2025, according to Hebrew media reports. The breach, which was part of Tehran's ongoing effort to spy on current and former 'Israeli' officials, compromised Shaked's Telegram account. Sources close to Shaked said the hack was carried out after she clicked on a malicious link, a classic social engineering tactic. Although the Shin Bet, 'Israel's' internal security service, informed her of the breach approximately two weeks after it occurred, her associates reported that the Telegram account was "empty" and did not contain any sensitive information. The incident was not an isolated event. Shaked had been a persistent intelligence target for years. She was personally warned by then-Shin Bet director Nadav Argaman in 2016 and 2017, while she was a sitting minister, that Iranian operators were attempting to monitor her phone conversations. Although she left office in 2022, she had indicated an intention to return to political life, making her a continued target for long-term intelligence gathering.
Roya News
10 hours ago
- Roya News
Mossad chief visits Doha amid conflicting reports on captives deal talks
Mossad chief David Barnea was in Doha on Thursday for meetings with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, according to multiple reports from 'Israeli' news outlets, in a visit that 'Israeli' officials have sought to downplay. The meeting reportedly focused on efforts to revive stalled ceasefire and captive deal negotiations, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office maintains a hardline public position. While two 'Israeli' officials reportedly told Reuters that the purpose of Barnea's visit was to restart the captive deal talks, another senior 'Israeli' official was quick to deny this. This official told 'The Times of Israel' that Barnea was in Qatar 'on matters related to the Mossad, and not regarding the negotiations for a captive deal.' This public contradiction follows a pattern of recent statements from Netanyahu's office, which has been signaling a shift away from a partial, phased captive deal in favor of a comprehensive agreement to release all remaining captives at once. An 'Israeli' political source cited by local news stated that Barnea was told to clarify in the meeting that "a partial off the table." The visit comes amidst reports that a Hamas delegation has also arrived in Qatar, aiming to restart negotiations and avert 'Israel's' stated plan to further escalate its offensive by conquering Gaza City. In a statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that "we want them all [the captives] back as part of ending the war, but under the conditions of ending the war on our terms."
