Tehran May Reject Cooperation with IAEA: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister

Tehran may refuse to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if three EU countries—Britain, Germany, and France—initiate the mechanism for extending UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic, stated Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

“We have clarified to the European countries that if they initiate the Snapback mechanism, Iran will certainly take the necessary retaliatory steps. We have also informed them that if such a move is made, all cooperation and interaction with the International Atomic Energy Agency will be completely jeopardized and will practically cease,” the official said in an interview with Iranian state television.

Earlier, the US and the EU trio countries had agreed to treat the end of August as the deadline for signing the nuclear agreement.