In an interview with IRNA, Hassan Beheshti-Pour said Iran has adopted a policy of maintaining at least a minimum level of cooperation with the IAEA, despite disputes following US military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities that were under agency safeguards.
He argued that sustained engagement helps resolve outstanding questions and weakens the arguments of the US and European powers against Iran.
Beheshti-Pour noted that inspections of facilities damaged in attacks cannot proceed under normal safeguard rules and require new, mutually agreed arrangements, as existing frameworks were designed for peacetime conditions. He said it is unprecedented for safeguarded nuclear sites to be targeted militarily, leaving a legal and technical gap that must be addressed through negotiations with the agency.
He also criticized political pressure to allow immediate inspections, calling it more political than technical in nature. According to Beheshti-Pour, Iran should pursue continuous, independent dialogue with the IAEA to clarify inspection mechanisms and ensure nuclear safety.
The analyst stressed that abandoning cooperation would only deepen Iran’s challenges, adding that resolving disputes through the agency remains both possible and preferable within international norms.
