FM Araqchi says Iran to work with IAEA, but inspections may be risky

While Iran's cooperation with the nuclear watchdog has not stopped, it will take a new form and will be guided, Araqchi adds

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia Jun 23, 2025. Sputnik/Sergei Karpukhin/Pool via REUTERS

Iran plans to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog despite restrictions imposed by its parliament, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday, but stressed that access to its bombed nuclear sites posed security and safety issues.

The new law stipulates that any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs approval by the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security body.

"The risk of spreading radioactive materials and the risk of exploding leftover munitions ... are serious," state media cited Araqchi as saying. "For us, IAEA inspectors approaching nuclear sites has both a security aspect ... and the safety of the inspectors themselves is a matter that must be examined."

While Iran's cooperation with the nuclear watchdog has not stopped, it will take a new form and will be guided and managed through the Supreme National Security Council, Araqchi told Tehran-based diplomats.