Iran says sanctions snapback may end any cooperation with nuke watchdog

Iran says cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog will be affected in the event that Britain, France and Germany trigger snapback sanctions outlined in the moribund 2015 nuclear deal.

“If this action is taken, the path of interaction that we have now opened with the International Atomic Energy Agency will also be completely affected and will probably stop,” deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi tells state TV.

Iran earlier said it was working with its allies, China and Russia, to prevent the reimposition of sanctions.

IAEA inspectors returned to Iran, agency head Rafael Grossi said earlier, but he noted that there was no agreement granting them access to sensitive sites where enrichment took place before Israel and the US bombed nuclear facilities in June.

Since suspending cooperation in the wake of the 12-day war, Tehran has said repeatedly that future cooperation with the agency will take “a new form.”

The spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said the IAEA inspectors were in Iran to oversee the replacement of fuel at the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

He made no mention of whether inspectors would be allowed access to other sites, including Fordo and Natanz, which were hit during the war.