Iran Links IAEA Cooperation to Parliament, SNSC Approval: AEOI Chief

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization chief, Mohammad Eslami, said Tehran’s engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will only proceed under terms endorsed by Parliament and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

Speaking to Mehr News Agency, Eslami stressed that cooperation is contingent on a legal and national security framework, not unilateral arrangements.

He also revealed that assessments are ongoing to evaluate damage to nuclear facilities caused during what he described as a “12-day 'Israeli'-US imposed war against Iran.”

Eslami noted the sensitive nature of the affected sites has made the review process slow, but insisted that “Iran’s nuclear program is vital for the country’s scientific development and will continue.”

On Wednesday, Iran clarified that the return of IAEA inspectors does not mean full restoration of cooperation, which was suspended following "Israeli" strikes in June.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed inspectors had entered the Bushehr nuclear plant—their first visit since Tehran cut ties with the UN watchdog last month. “They are there now… inspecting Bushehr,” he told reporters.

Iranian officials, however, emphasized that no new cooperation framework has been finalized.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television that “no final text has yet been approved, and views are still being exchanged.”

Following the June 13 attacks—which killed more than 1,000 people and damaged key sites in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz—Iran halted all cooperation with the IAEA.

The law passed afterward requires any inspector access to be cleared by the SNSC.

Tehran retaliated with missile and drone strikes before a ceasefire took hold on June 24.

While inspectors have now resumed limited work, Iran insists that lasting cooperation must respect its sovereignty and national security priorities.