Iran says it will continue talks with IAEA after curbing access

DUBAI - Iran will continue talks with the UN nuclear watchdog, and the two sides will probably have another round of negotiations in the coming days, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state media on Aug 18.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors have been unable to access Iran’s nuclear sites since Israel and

the US bombed them

during a 12-day war in June, despite IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stating that inspections remain his top priority.

“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,” Mr Baghaei said.

Tehran has accused the IAEA of effectively paving the way for the Israel-US attacks with a report on May 31 that led the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors to declare Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.

The Islamic Republic has long denied Western suspicions of a covert effort to develop nuclear weapons capability, saying it remains committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty that mandates peaceful uses of atomic energy for signatories.

“The level of our relations (with the IAEA) has changed after the events that took place, we do not deny that. However, our relations... remain direct,” Mr Baghaei said during a televised weekly news conference.

In July, Iran enacted a law passed by Parliament

suspending cooperation with the IAEA

. The law stipulates that any future inspections of Iranian nuclear sites need approval by Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council. REUTERS