Coop with IAEA will take new form, says Iran

TEHRAN, July 13 (AFP): Iran said Saturday its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "will take on a new form", expressing a desire for a diplomatic solution to resolve concerns over its nuclear programme.

Iran's 12-day war with Israel last month, sparked by an Israeli bombing campaign that hit military and nuclear sites as well as residential areas, rattled its already shaky relationship with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The attacks began days before a planned meeting between Tehran and Washington aimed at reviving nuclear negotiations, which have since stalled.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran's cooperation with the IAEA "has not stopped, but will take on a new form", after the Islamic republic formally ended cooperation with the UN watchdog in early July.

Iran has blamed the IAEA in part for the June attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Israel says it launched to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon-an ambition Tehran has repeatedly denied.

The United States, which had been in talks with Iran since April 12, joined Israel in carrying out its own strikes on June 22, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.

Araghchi said requests to monitor nuclear sites "will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis... taking into account safety and security issues", and be managed by Iran's Supreme National Security Council.