Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister

By : Masoud Barati

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, reached an agreement with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in Egypt. But the details of this agreement remain unclear. Araghchi’s account refers to adherence to the parliament’s law and preventing IAEA inspectors from accessing facilities targeted by the United States and the Zionist entity.

Grossi, on the other hand, presented a completely different version in his press conference, claiming that the agreement includes allowing access to all Iranian nuclear facilities. He added that Iran also committed to providing the agency with information regarding enriched materials.

The question of which version is correct is of utmost importance, and the Iranian people have bitter experience in this regard. More importantly, however, the agreement with the agency—and more broadly, the path of making concessions and building trust unilaterally—resembles a swamp pulling Iran inward, leaving behind dangerous and negative consequences for the country.

The government imagines that by making concessions to the agency, it can please the Europeans and prevent the return of previous resolutions against Iran. The Europeans have set three conditions for extending the “trigger mechanism”:

🔢 A certain level of cooperation with the agency. 🔢 Another level of cooperation with the agency. 🔢 The start of comprehensive negotiations between Iran and the United States.

If Grossi’s account is correct, the first two conditions have already been met, leaving only the third—comprehensive negotiations with America. This means talks would go beyond the nuclear file to include military, missile, and regional issues.

Two factors pushed the Iranian government into this agreement: first, fear of the return of UN resolutions; second, concern about a new attack by the Zionist entity. Making concessions to the agency and backing down from the correct position of suspending cooperation after the imposed war reflects Iran’s weakness and its fear of the return of resolutions and of military conflict. This agreement weakens Iran’s position vis-à-vis the West and encourages more hostile actions, whether political or military.

‼️ The extension of the trigger mechanism is essentially the continuation of a European pressure tool against Iran. Given Iran’s response to Europe’s demands at this stage, it is predictable that Europe will continue to use this tool repeatedly.

In other words, retreating at this stage will lead into an endless cycle of continuous concessions. This is why the Europeans limited the extension period to only six months—meaning we will witness repeated European blackmail of Iran every six months. Meanwhile, the military threat against Iran will escalate, because the West knows that sanctions resulting from renewed resolutions are not highly effective, and that the only reason Iran entered this agreement was fear of war. Thus, in the eyes of the West, the military threat becomes more credible, and its use will increase.

On the technical front as well, the more information the agency obtains about Iran’s nuclear program and the chain of related activities, the more oversight the U.S. and the Zionist entity gain over it, thereby strengthening their operational capability to carry out a military strike against it. This is a fact, even if the Western-oriented current inside Iran does not wish to acknowledge it—though the Westerners themselves admit it openly.

‼️ From past experience, another harmful result can also be predicted: paralysis and waiting inside the country, especially in the economic sphere. Six-month suspensions will create uncertainty within Iran, preventing any serious or long-term initiatives. This cycle will continuously weaken Iran in the face of threats. In the end, what has taken place does not serve national interests—it works against them.

this situation pleases the Western-oriented current inside Iran, as it achieves its aim of weakening Iran’s position and maintaining dependence on the West.