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Iran signals complex talks ahead of first IAEA visit since July suspension
Iran has signalled that upcoming discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be 'technical' and 'complicated,' as the UN nuclear watchdog makes its first visit since Tehran suspended cooperation last month. The foreign ministry confirmed the trip follows the June conflict triggered by Israeli strikes, which led to a complete break in ties.
Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said a meeting with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi may be arranged during the visit, though the outcome remains uncertain, Al Jazeera reports.
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First visit since July suspension
The IAEA visit is the first since President Masoud Pezeshkian halted collaboration on July 3, after a 12-day war with Israel that also saw US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in support of Israel.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said IAEA Deputy Director General Massimo Aparo has concluded meetings in Tehran with officials from the foreign ministry and the agency's local office. Discussions focused on how the two sides will interact going forward, but no details were disclosed. The IAEA has yet to comment and the trip will not include access to nuclear sites.
Relations have been strained since the IAEA's board declared on June 12 that Iran breached its non-proliferation obligations — a day before the Israeli strikes. Baghaei accused the agency of failing to adequately condemn the attacks on Iranian facilities, which he said were under 24-hour monitoring. Araghchi has previously indicated that any future cooperation will require approval from the Supreme National Security Council, potentially further restricting inspector access.
Implications for nuclear oversight
Analysts warn that the decision to redefine cooperation could limit monitoring of Iran's uranium enrichment program, which is operating at levels close to weapons-grade. While Iran has occasionally allowed partial inspections during past negotiations with Western powers, the resumption of nuclear talks with Washington remains uncertain.
Both US intelligence agencies and the IAEA assess that Iran ended its organized nuclear weapons program in 2003. Although enrichment has reached 60 per cent, it remains below the 90 per cent threshold required for weapons-grade material.
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Also Read: 'Honest history, not ideology'—NCERT social science panel chief on changes in Class 8 textbook From Honfleur to Auroville During the mid-1970s, the international community of Auroville—founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, a French, who came to be known as the 'Mother' and spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo—was gaining attention in France and neighboring countries. Danino, born in Honfleur, France, was also deeply influenced by it. 'It was a 'utopia' perhaps, but I found it a powerful attraction and adventure. I took the leap at the age of 21 and moved to India. It was surprisingly easy for me to make that decision, and I've never regretted it,' Danino told ThePrint. During his five-year stay at Auroville between 1977 and 1982, Danino co-founded a small bilingual magazine with friends to document life and developments within Auroville. He also worked with Auromitra—a trust formed by J.R.D. Tata and others to support Auroville—where he documented eco-restoration and farming projects. In addition, he assisted in shaping the community's early collective organization and took part in distributing books related to the 'Mother' and her teachings. In 1982, he moved to the Nilgiris with his companion Nicole, who had come to Auroville in 1974. He stayed in Ooty and then moved to Coimbatore. 'This new phase focused more on the translation and publication of works related to Sri Aurobindo, the 'Mother' (especially the 13 volumes of her agenda) and her confidant Satprem. Parallely, my own study of Indian civilisation deepened and I started exploring its origins not only through texts but also through archaeology and ancient history,' Danino recalls. He briefly taught at Amrita University in Coimbatore around 2007, followed by a stint at IIM Ranchi. Later he joined IIT Gandhinagar in 2011 as a visiting faculty. He received Indian citizenship in 2004 and was honored with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award, in 2017 in the Literature and Education category. 'On the Trail of the Sarasvatī' Long before the term Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) became widely known through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Danino was already pioneering efforts to integrate India's civilisational knowledge into education. In 2012-13, he helped prepare an elective IKS course for CBSE, titled 'Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India', co-editing its two-volume textbook for classes 11 and 12. Reflecting on his work, Danino noted, 'My studies of Indian civilisation and its cultural accomplishments soon made me realize that it gave knowledge a very special place, to the extent of divinizing it. 'Knowledge generation and transmission were central to the growth of Indian civilisation, and for this to be possible, knowledge needed to be codified into coherent systems.' He added, 'Some 25 years ago, I became concerned by how disconnected most young Indians were from this immense intellectual, artistic, literary, spiritual, scientific, and technological heritage.' At IIT Gandhinagar, Danino launched an IKS course in 2016 and also began teaching a course on the history of science and technology in India, which had become one of his major subjects of focus. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Archaeological Sciences Centre at IIT Gandhinagar, which he currently coordinates. In 2010, he published a book titled The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvatī, in which he makes a compelling case for identifying the now-dry Ghaggar-Hakra river system with the ancient Sarasvatī river described in the Rigveda. However, his view differs from many other historians. 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There is nothing 'mythical' about it,' he said. He also addressed the charge that those promoting the identification of the Ghaggar river with the ancient Sarasvatī are motivated by Hindutva or RSS ideology. 'But this is false. In my book, I listed dozens of Indian and foreign Sanskritists (a scholar of Sanskrit language), geographers, archaeologists, and geologists, who have supported this identification since the mid-19th Century.' Under Danino's committee, the newly released NCERT textbooks refer to the Harappan civilisation by alternative names, including Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilisation, an approach that some scholars caution against, warning that it conflates archaeological evidence with textual or ideological narratives. Also Read: Next chapter, India's military might. NCERT preparing module on Op Sindoor for classes 3-12 Critic of impact of colonisation on education system Before he headed NCERT's committee on developing textbooks 'rooted in Indian ethos' as prescribed under NEP and National Curriculum Framework 2023, Danino was a vocal critic of the impact of colonisation on India's education system. In his essay titled 'Effects of Colonization on Indian Thought – Part 1', published on 7 August, 2016, on the website Pragyata, Danino wrote, 'Almost all Indian history taught today in our schools and universities has been written by Western scholars, or by native historians who have adopted the views of the colonial masters.' He also criticised the introduction of English education to young children before they have any grounding in Indian culture or history. The essay further states, 'The real facts of the destruction wreaked in India by Muslim invaders and some Christian missionaries must be kept outside textbooks and curricula, since they contradict the 'tolerant' and 'liberating' image that Islam and Christianity have been projecting for themselves.' In an opinion piece in The New Indian Express in May, 2018, Danino had highlighted how India's scientific and technological heritage—created by ancient civilisations—was being largely ignored. He had noted that standard Indian history textbooks offered nothing comparable, philosophy departments focused mostly on Western thought, and psychology departments overlooked the entire yogic understanding of the human being. In an op-ed in The Hindu in January 2015, he had argued that mainstream history books on classical India—such as D.N. 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Responding to such claims, Danino denied any political or ideological influence on his work, saying, 'Personally, I would not have accepted to work under any sort of political or ideological pressure.' Meanwhile, he has written several other books—Indian Culture and India's Future and Sri Aurobindo and India's Rebirth (editor, Rupa, 2018). He is a life member of various academic organisations, including the Indian Archaeological Society, the Indian History and Culture Society, the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies, and the Indian Society for the History of Mathematics. He has also previously served as a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research. Danino emphasised that his educational activities were carried out independently of whichever party was in power. For example, in 2005, he had conducted a survey of 11,000 schoolchildren on the presence of cultural content in school education, and the NCERT had published a paper in 2008 summarising the findings. Another example is the 'Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India' course that he had prepared for CBSE in 2012–2013. 'It is unfortunate that, for some, any engagement with Indian heritage and civilisation is immediately seen as an indication of Hindutva leanings,' he said. 'Perfectionist who respects contrary views' Ankita Nair, who completed her PhD on Kutiyattam under Danino between 2018 and 2023, recalls him as a perfectionist and lifelong learner. 'Actually, Michel sir wasn't my original supervisor, he was my co-supervisor between 2016-18. When my main supervisor left, I approached others who refused due to lack of knowledge on Kutiyattam. Michel sir, however, did not refuse. 'He was genuinely eager to understand. He's a perfectionist—always questioning. A hard taskmaster in a good way, never taking things at face value. Even near the end of my PhD, he kept pushing me to defend my arguments. Even if he doesn't agree with my views sometimes, he would never dismiss them,' she said. Kutiyattam is a Sanskrit theatre believed to have originated in Kerala more than 2,000 years ago. Nair added that Danino is proud of Indian culture but doesn't glorify it blindly. 'I remember his lecture about two kinds of writers on India: those who glorify everything, and those who dismiss India entirely. He stressed the need to strike a balance.' Ridhhi Garg, Danino's student at IIT Gandhinagar from 2016 to 2018, said his Indian Knowledge Systems course sparked her interest in history despite her English background. 'He won't say anything without proper references or give flippant ideas. His inspiration from Shri Aurobindo shows in his values,' she told ThePrint. Garg said that these days, if someone is studying ancient history, people often assume you're aligned with a certain ideology. They're not even interested in what your actual work is about. 'I faced those same prejudices. My thesis under Danino sir was on Vedic-Puranic mythology–people assumed it was about Hindutva. But it was nothing of the sort,' she said. V.N. Prabhakar, an associate professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences department (jointly with Earth Sciences) at IIT Gandhinagar, has known Danino for over a decade. 'As an individual, I've found him to be one of the most well-read people, with a deep understanding of every aspect of Indian culture and civilisation. I used to attend his lectures and talks regularly. He's someone who genuinely appreciates diverse perspectives.' (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: Charaka Samhita to Arthashastra, new NCERT Class 7 science book highlights India's scientific heritage
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