Iran says Cairo agreement for cooperation with IAEA ‘no longer valid’ after sanctions reimposed

ANKARA

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a Cairo agreement for cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog “is no longer valid” after the imposition of snapback sanctions by Western countries.

“The three European countries thought they could achieve results through the snapback mechanism, but that tool was ineffective and only made diplomacy more complicated,” the state news agency IRNA quoted Araghchi as saying after meeting foreign ambassadors and diplomats accredited to Tehran.

The UN reimposed sanctions on Iran last week for the first time in a decade after they were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. It came after European signatories of the deal – the UK, France, and Germany – triggered the snapback mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Araghchi stressed that there is no solution to Iran’s nuclear issue “other than a diplomatic and negotiated one.”

“In recent years, there have been repeated threats of military attack, but such an approach has failed to resolve any issue.

“Even now, if the [opposing] parties act in good faith and consider mutual interests, the continuation of negotiations is possible. However, recent developments at the UN Security Council have made the process more difficult,” he said.

Last month, Iran and the IAEA signed an agreement in the Egyptian capital Cairo to resume cooperation. The move came after Tehran suspended cooperation with the nuclear watchdog, accusing the agency of bias.

The Iranian minister said the Cairo agreement “is no longer valid” under current conditions.

“To prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear program and its goodwill, the Islamic Republic of Iran has exhausted all diplomatic avenues, pursued consultations and cooperation, and presented constructive and balanced proposals. There is now no excuse left for Western countries to prevent Iran from cooperation or dialogue,” Araghchi said.

Tension escalated after Israel launched a surprise attack on Tehran on June 13, targeting military, nuclear, and civilian sites as well as senior military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. The 12-day conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.