VIENNA: Iran’s new cooperation framework with the UN nuclear watchdog includes “all facilities and installations” in the Islamic republic, the agency’s head said Wednesday — though Iran said the agreement itself “does not create access”.

Iran agreed a deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday, af­­t­er it suspended cooperation following its war with Israel in June.

The 12-day war saw Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nucl­ear facilities, which the IAEA has not been able to access since.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the agreed document “provides for a clear understanding of the procedures for inspections”.

UN nuclear watchdog says deal covers ‘all facilities’; Iran’s FM says inspections require separate negotiations

It “includes all facilities and installations in Iran, and it also contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked facilities, including the nuclear material present at those”, Grossi told the Vienna-based agency’s Board of Governors meeting.

Iran’s stance

But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appe­ared to downplay the extent of the deal, saying the agreement itself “does not create access” for IAEA inspectors.

Araghchi said in an interview aired Wednesday that “currently no access is given to the IAEA inspectors”.

“Based on the reports that Iran will provide later, the type of access should be negotiated in due course,” he added.

The most recent inspection did not include access to other key sites, including Fordo and Natanz, which were hit in the June strikes.

“Iran and the agency will now resume cooperation in a respectful and comprehensive way,” Grossi told the board meeting, adding the “practical steps… need to be implemented now”. “There may be difficulties and issues to be resolved for sure, but we now know what we have to do,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2025