Iran signs new deal with UN nuclear watchdog

Iran has signed a new agreement with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), allowing inspectors to resume visits to the country’s nuclear facilities, including sites damaged in U.S. and Israeli air strikes last June.

Under the deal, Tehran has stipulated that snapback sanctions must not be reimposed, warning that any such action would nullify the agreement, reports Reuters.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Cairo on Tuesday for Tehran’s first high-level engagement with the agency since the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict. Following the meeting, the two sides signed the agreement.

At a joint press briefing, Araghchi said Iran had agreed to strengthen cooperation with the IAEA “on the condition of respecting Iran’s sovereignty and protecting the security of its people.”