China and Russia welcomed Iran’s deal with the UN nuclear watchdog to resume inspections, with Beijing calling it a positive step to ease tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and Moscow urging European powers to halt their move to reimpose UN sanctions.
China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday the resumption of supervision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was “a positive step in promoting the easing of the Iran nuclear issue.”
“Congratulations! It is a good moment for the E3 to stop and cancel the SnapBack procedure in order to keep the positive trend,” Moscow’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, wrote on X shortly after IAEA chief Rafael Grossi unveiled the deal in Cairo.
Grossi said he and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had agreed on “practical modalities” for inspections during talks in the Egyptian capital, describing the step as “a door we are opening” toward restoring verification activities that were cut off after Israeli and US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this year.
Araghchi told reporters the understanding was designed to reflect “Iran’s exceptional security conditions and the Agency’s technical requirements,” while warning that Tehran would void the deal if “hostile actions” such as the reinstatement of Security Council resolutions were pursued.
The European powers triggered the snapback mechanism under UN Security Council resolution 2231 in late August, a process that will restore international sanctions unless the Council adopts a new resolution by the end of September to extend relief. The mechanism was activated after the three accused Tehran of failing to comply with nuclear obligations.
The resumption of inspections is seen as a critical step in assessing Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium and its compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Western diplomats say any suspension of the snapback move would depend on Iran’s willingness to implement the deal in full.
