01-08-2025
IAEA officials will visit Iran for the first time since 12-Day War
The hope is that the talks will open the door for high level talks between IAEA's Director-General Rafael Grossi and senior Iranian officials.
For the first time since the Israel-Iran War, a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Iran next week, according to a source familiar with the details.
IAEA technical experts will start talks with the Iranians in order to restore oversight of the nuclear sites.
The hope is that the talks will open the door for high level talks between IAEA's Director-General Rafael Grossi and senior Iranian officials.
The inspectors are aiming to see the nuclear sites destroyed during the 12-day war. However, Tehran has made it clear that as of now, they will not permit the inspectors to visit these sites.
Recent satellite images show that Iran has been conducting work at some of the nuclear sites that were damaged/ However, various sources estimate that the reconstruction is not dramatic and does not involve the removal of enriched uranium from the bombed facilities.
IAEA to return to Iran
A few days after the conclusion of the war, IAEA inspectors who had been in Iran left the country out of "concerns for their lives."
Last Friday, the deputy foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the UK – countries that are signatories to the Iranian nuclear agreement – met with senior Tehran officials in an attempt to resume talks to reach a new deal.
Western diplomats told The Jerusalem Post that the European officials left the meeting frustrated. "The Iranians insist on continuing uranium enrichment in any new agreement. There is little room for progress as long as this demand remains," said the diplomats.
After the meeting, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that he had criticized the European stance regarding the 12-Day War and discussed the snapback mechanism to reimpose sanctions. "It was agreed that consultations on this matter will continued," he added.
European countries have made it clear that if the Iranians do not reach new agreements on the nuclear program by October, they will activate the snapback mechanism, which will impose significant sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council. This mechanism was established as part of the nuclear deal, and the ability to use it will expire in mid-October.
Meanwhile, Western diplomats have told the Post that the US administration is refusing to try to convince Iran to return to the negotiation table.
"If the Iranians want to hold talks, they know where to find us," US President Trump stated.
This week, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, reiterated Iran's position that it would resume indirect talks with the United States if its national interests required it, but stated that there are currently no plans to hold a sixth round of nuclear negotiations with Washington.
