Iran says cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA 'no longer relevant'

Iran’s top diplomat said on Oct 5 that cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog was no longer relevant following the re-imposition of international sanctions on the Islamic republic.

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“The Cairo agreement is no longer relevant for our cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, referring to a September deal with the UN agency.

The deal had set up a framework to resume cooperation and allow IAEA to inspect Iranian sites after Tehran suspended cooperation following Israeli and US strikes on its key nuclear sites in June.

But the agreement lost its significance to Iran as Britain, France and Germany - signatories to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal — triggered the return of the UN sanctions over Tehran’s noncompliance.

Tehran had threatened to halt cooperation with the agency if they sought to reimpose the sanctions.