Iran's nuclear materials buried under bombed sites: FM

TEHRAN, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's nuclear materials remain buried beneath the ruins of facilities bombed after recent attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday, adding that no agreement has yet been reached on inspections.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is assessing whether the materials can be accessed and in what condition, said Araghchi in an interview during his visit to Cairo.

Once the assessment is completed, he said, a report will be submitted to the Supreme National Security Council, which will decide on the next steps based on Iran's security considerations.

The foreign minister stressed that under Iran's agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency signed on Tuesday, no inspection has been conducted to date, nor is there any consensus to carry out.

He said the accord recognizes that cooperation with the agency must take place under new conditions, shaped by both security concerns and a law passed by the Iranian parliament.

Araghchi noted that the agreement will remain valid only as long as no hostile action is taken against Iran, including activation of the so-called "snapback" mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions. He warned that should the mechanism be triggered, "the agreement will no longer be valid" and Iran would respond accordingly.

He reiterated that Iran has told its European counterparts that military action and the "snapback" mechanism cannot resolve the nuclear issue, warning such steps would only complicate the situation.

The agreement signed in Cairo on Tuesday aims to establish a new framework for cooperation following Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.