In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that just as diplomacy had come under attack in June by Israel and the United States, the Cairo agreement “was likewise killed by the US and the three European countries”, a reference to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June amid the Tehran-Washington talks.The Cairo agreement outlined Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA following those raids.
He described as “regrettable and shameful” a chain of events that ultimately led to the collapse of the deal.
According to Araghchi, Iran had been preparing to enter the sixth round of nuclear negotiations with the United States when Israel, and shortly afterward the US, launched attacks on Iran. Despite the bombing of several nuclear facilities, Iran, through Egyptian mediation, reached an agreement in Cairo with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resume inspections. However, soon after the deal was signed, the three European countries -Britain, Germany, and France- acting under US pressure, pursued efforts to impose UN Security Council sanctions on Iran.
Araghchi added that when Iran began granting IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear sites, starting with those that were not damaged in the June attacks, the US and the European trio jointly moved to secure a condemnation of Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors.
This, he said, made it clear that Iran is not the party seeking to create a new crisis, but rather that “they simply do not recognize our goodwill.” The foreign minister said Washington and the three European governments are responsible for heightening tensions, stressing that they fully understand that the official collapse of the Cairo agreement is a direct consequence of their own provocations.