Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it will continue negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) despite the recent destruction of its nuclear sites by a joint Israeli-American bombing campaign, Reuters reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state media that another round of talks is likely to take place in the coming days.
IAEA inspectors have been unable to access Iran’s nuclear facilities since the 12-day war in June, which saw Israel and the US successfully target Iran’s key nuclear sites. This blockade on inspections comes despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s repeated statements that access to the sites remains his top priority.
The Iranian government contends that a resolution passed by the board of the IAEA, which declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, paved the way for the Israeli and US strikes.
“We had talks (with the IAEA) last week. These talks will continue and there will be another round of talks between Iran and the agency probably in the coming days,” Baghaei said on Monday, projecting an air of business as usual despite the military setback.
The resolution censuring Iran followed the most recent IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear program, which revealed a sharp increase in Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, a level significantly closer to weapons-grade material.
Iran has rejected the IAEA report, claiming it was based on “unreliable and misleading information” provided to the agency by Israel.