Inspectors have completed a brief visit to Bushehr, as Tehran readies for another round of negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s atomic energy chief said on Sunday.
Two rounds of talks between the IAEA and the foreign ministry had already taken place, with a third session planned, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told reporters.
“The matter of IAEA supervision over the refueling of Bushehr was on the agenda. Two inspectors came, observed the process and left,” he said.
Inspectors entered the country with authorization from the Supreme National Security Council to oversee a fuel replacement process at Bushehr, he added.
The visit marked the first IAEA presence since Tehran suspended cooperation during the 12-day war with Israel, when US and Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that while inspectors were allowed back into Bushehr, access to other key sites remained blocked. He also warned that the agency was still dissatisfied with the level of Iranian cooperation.
Some Iranian officials and media outlets had also threatened that as soon as Grossi entered Iranian territory, he should be arrested and put on trial. The Kayhan newspaper, overseen by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had called for Grossi to be tried and executed “for spying for Mossad.”
Dispute over snapback sanctions
Eslami dismissed the activation of the UN snapback mechanism by Britain, France and Germany as unsurprising. “Our enemies always find excuses to pressure the Iranian nation,” he said, accusing the IAEA leadership of acting under the influence of Western powers.
The European states triggered the mechanism on August 28, seeking the reimposition of all previous UN sanctions and demanding that Iran resume full cooperation with the IAEA within 30 days. Tehran has so far refused.
Officials have threatened that if pressure intensifies, Iran could withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — a move that would deepen its isolation and risk losing support from Russia and China.
The IAEA has reported that Iran holds enriched uranium stocks far beyond the limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, including more than 400 kilograms enriched to 60 percent.
The fate of this material remains unclear after the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan during the June conflict. Experts warn it could be enough, if further refined, to build several nuclear weapons.
