Key Points and Summary – With a late-August deadline for “snapback” sanctions looming, Iranian officials say they are willing to return to nuclear negotiations but with a major condition: the U.S. must first prove the talks are not just a “cover” for planning new military strikes.
-As a supposed sign of good faith, Iran is inviting UN nuclear inspectors back into the country.
-However, in a major catch that has raised deep suspicion, the inspectors will be banned from visiting the actual nuclear sites that were damaged in recent airstrikes, suggesting Tehran is simply trying to buy time to rebuild.
Iran Lays Out Conditions for Nuclear Talks
Despite plans to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure, Iranian officials say they’re willing to return to the negotiating table with the United States – under one condition. Speaking to reporters in New York, Tehran’s nuclear negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi claimed that the U.S. must prove that any future talks would not be a cover for fresh military action.
Gharibabadi’s comments came soon after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, in conjunction with remaining signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, to reimpose sanctions on Iran if a new deal is not agreed by the end of August.
Gharibabadi said that Iran must now negotiate with Washington and the Europeans, signaling a willingness to enter into a new agreement with the West.
Why He’s Concerned
While Iran’s messaging on its nuclear program has been inconsistent for decades, with its leaders claiming on the one hand to be opposed to nuclear weapons development while continuing to enrich uranium to almost weapons-grade levels, Tehran says it is willing to negotiate with Washington.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an open letter to Iranians overseas that he is willing to engage with the United States.
“We still believe the window of diplomacy is open, and we are seriously pursuing this peaceful path by mobilizing all political capacities,” Pezeshkian said.
It’s one of a number of signals from Iran that diplomacy is, in theory, possible – and that Tehran is willing to demonstrate good faith and begin negotiations before the end-of-August deadline. But while Iran claims Washington cannot be trusted, the White House has few reasons to trust Tehran.
Speaking to reporters, Gharibabadi claimed that the United States used negotiations as cover while simultaneously preparing Operation Midnight Hammer. Gharibabadi said that Tehran believes a military operation may have always been the United States’ intention, and that it could happen again.
IAEA Permitted Entry Into Iran
While speaking to the same reporters in New York, Gharibabadi also confirmed that a technical team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been invited to visit the nation’s capital city in the coming weeks. The inspectors, however, will not be permitted to visit the damaged nuclear sites.
The invitation comes after Iran officially suspended cooperation with the IAEA in retaliation to Israeli and U.S. strikes. Gharibabadi criticized the agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, for failing to condemn the strikes. Nonetheless, the Iranian official said that he is willing to discuss “a new modality” for cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, including providing access to nuclear sites that were not attacked.
While the offer may seem cooperative, it could simply be an effort to prevent the snapback mechanism from being triggered and sanctions being imposed on a country that is already struggling to defend itself. In principle, the welcoming of IAEA inspectors is a surprise, but by failing to give inspectors access to the damaged sites, Iran could simply be buying time to rebuild facilities that some Western analysts argue could be operational within months.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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Jim
July 29, 2025 at 10:45 am
Good reporting.
There is a glimmer of hope amid all the tension.
What is Iran asking for? Good faith negotiations, is that too much to ask for after a sucker punch, head-fake negotiations, culminating in a surprise attack.
Which didn’t work. Iran’s government didn’t collapse, its military didn’t splinter, and its nuclear program while damaged, wasn’t destroyed. And, Iran demonstrated deterrence by hitting Israeli military & infrastructure targets with precision forcing a cease fire Netanyahu really didn’t want. (He wanted the United States to do a regime change war on Israel’s behalf.)
After all that… and the continued threats from all sides… it’s a surprise there’s still a glimmer of hope war can be avoided.
I share the author’s skepticism because Netanyahu doesn’t want a deal, he wants war.
And Iran does want a deal, but with civilian enrichment of 3.75% and the infrastructure to achieve it.
That’s the rub… Netanyahu (and possibly Trump) insist on zero enrichment and total dismantlement which Iran sees as a violation of their intrinsic sovereignty and its rights under the NPT, The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which they signed as did the United States (Israel has not signed).
Jaw jaw is better than war war, as someone said.
But it does take good faith intentions & actions, not sucker punch tactics wrapped in cynicism which harden positions and attitudes… making war more likely.
Netanyahu is driving Israeli society in a dangerous direction… what else is new.