TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and the three European parties to the nuclear deal (Britain, France and Germany) of effectively “killing” the Cairo Agreement, saying their recent actions had made its continuation impossible.

Araghchi said Washington and the E3 followed “the same pattern” that he says undermined diplomacy earlier in June, when Israel and the United States carried out military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Araghchi wrote on X that Iran had been preparing for a sixth round of talks when the strikes occurred, and that subsequent developments made continuation of the Cairo arrangements impossible. 

Araghchi outlined the “sordid sequence of events”: after the June attacks, Tehran suspended some cooperation with the IAEA but later reached a technical understanding in Cairo with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to restore inspections under specified terms. He said that, despite Iran granting access to certain sites, the United States and the E3 then pushed for a Board of Governors resolution to demand additional information and access — a move Tehran views as inconsistent with the Cairo arrangements. 

On Wednesday the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution drafted by the E3 and the United States that calls on Iran to “without delay” provide detailed information on its enriched-uranium stockpiles and to grant access to facilities affected by the June hostilities. The measure passed by 19 votes in favour, three against and 12 abstentions. Iran’s mission and senior officials said the resolution omitted references to Iran’s earlier cooperation and to the impacts of the attacks on the agency’s ability to carry out inspections. 

Domestically, the Iranian parliament passed a measure earlier this year suspending cooperation with the IAEA following the June strikes, giving the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) a central role in overseeing future relations with the agency. In September 2025, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement in Cairo to resume inspections at nuclear sites affected by the June attacks, establishing a framework for inspectors to access specific facilities while addressing technical and safety considerations.