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IAEA Deputy Arrives in Tehran to Negotiate Nuclear Oversight Framework

Tehran has halted inspections since June strikes, requiring a new legal framework approved by its top security council before allowing any monitoring.

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Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visits the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Andrey BORODULIN / AFP) (Photo by ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The IAEA’s deputy director-general arrived in Tehran on August 11 to begin technical talks on a new cooperation framework with Iran.
  • Iran’s parliament passed a June law mandating Supreme National Security Council approval for any inspection, and no site visits will occur during this mission.
  • President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered all cooperation with the IAEA suspended on July 3 after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes struck key nuclear facilities.
  • Inspectors have been unable to access Iran’s enrichment sites since the June conflict, leaving its uranium stockpile enriched up to about 60% unverified.
  • IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has flagged the restoration of monitoring as urgent, but Iran’s legal and security conditions are likely to complicate any swift agreement.