Iran Bars IAEA Access to Damaged Nuclear Sites

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has rejected reports suggesting the country plans to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to inspect nuclear facilities damaged during recent US-"Israeli" rounds of aggression.

Referring to the memorandum of understanding [MoU] signed by Iran and the US with the aim of ending the war on Thursday, Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters on Friday that the document’s clause 8 stipulates that negotiations on the nuclear issue will be held within a period of 60 days.

“Of course, this will require the fulfillment of the prerequisites for starting negotiations in accordance with clause 13,” he emphasized.

Baghaei stressed that, according to clause 9 of the MoU, the current status of Iran's nuclear program will be maintained during the 60-day period, and accordingly, inspections of facilities such as Bushehr, which have been conducted so far, will continue.

He added that inspections of facilities to which the IAEA’s access was suspended due to the US-"Israeli" aggression hinge on the process of negotiations and their outcome.

His remarks came as US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, claimed that Iran will invite the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities and begin work on identifying and disclosing the locations of enriched materials possessed by Tehran.

This came during a special briefing by Witkoff to congressional leaders and members of the committees concerned with national security.

The MoU, signed remotely by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump, calls for a permanent end to hostilities across all fronts, the removal of the US naval blockade, the restoration of commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, a reconstruction plan worth at least $300 billion, and the lifting of US sanctions.

Under the MoU, the two sides have entered a 60-day negotiation period, with the goal of reaching a comprehensive final agreement.

The agreement followed an unprovoked US-"Israeli" war of terrorism against Iran that began in late February.