Iran Rejects IAEA Inspections Before Final Deal with US

Iran has rejected inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before a final agreement with the United States is reached. On social media platform X, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated that access to Iran’s nuclear facilities and materials would be reviewed and resolved solely within the framework of a final agreement and as a result of practical steps by the other party to lift all sanctions. He said no meeting had taken place between the Iranian negotiating team and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Switzerland in recent days, despite Grossi requesting such a meeting. Gharibabadi’s statement came after Grossi said earlier the same day that the IAEA would conduct inspections in Iran, given that a US-Iran peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) had recently been signed. The MoU, signed on 18 June, established a 60-day negotiation period, which is currently underway, to reach a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions. The first round of those negotiations was held in Switzerland on Sunday (21/6) and Monday (22/6). Three major Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan were bombed by the US during a ‘12-day war’ in June 2025. These sites were again at the centre of a conflict that erupted on 28 February this year, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iranian nuclear and military targets.