SAEDNEWS: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that any cooperation with the IAEA must be approved by the Supreme National Security Council, including the supervision of fuel replacement at Bushehr. He clarified that no final text of agreement with the IAEA on a new modality has been approved yet.
According to Saed News, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, referring to the remarks of officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the entry of the agency’s inspectors into Iran, said: “The law approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Iranian Parliament) has made cooperation with the Agency conditional on the decision of the Supreme National Security Council. Therefore, according to the law, all requests from the Agency are referred to the Supreme National Security Council to be decided upon.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister stated: “Currently, regarding the replacement of fuel at the Bushehr power plant, which must be carried out under the supervision of IAEA inspectors, decisions have been made, and any type of cooperation will also take place within this same legal framework of the parliament, which ensures the interests of the Iranian nation.”
No text has yet been finalized for an agreement between Iran and the Agency on the modality.
In an interview with Khaneh Mellat regarding the remarks of the representative of Tehran in today’s public session of Parliament about the finalization of a text of cooperation between Iran and the Agency on a new modality, Araqchi clarified: “No text has yet been finally approved; some views have been exchanged between the two sides, and the Agency’s perspectives have also been presented in writing several times. In any negotiation, it is natural for both sides to exchange their views and opinions until eventually, through negotiation, they reach a conclusion. I do not know where the text mentioned by the honorable representative came from, but it must be said that this text is not the negotiated or agreed text.”
Regarding the main focus of his meeting today with the members of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Araqchi emphasized: “Today, there was a good exchange of views regarding the Armenia–Azerbaijan route and the agreement reached, nuclear negotiations with the Europeans, negotiations with the Agency, issues of the snapback mechanism and its extension. The representatives also provided useful opinions.”
