ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Wednesday said that the UN nuclear watchdog will have access to all Iranian nuclear facilities under a new agreement signed with Iran in Cairo.

Grossi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi inked an agreement in the Egyptian capital on Tuesday outlining the provisions for nuclear safeguarding and IAEA inspection visits in Iran, coming after the relationship between Tehran and the watchdog experienced a significant deterioration in recent months.

Speaking to the IAEA’s Board of Governors at the body’s headquarters in Vienna, Grossi said that the “Practical Modalities for the Implementation of Safeguards in Iran” agreement allows the watchdog’s inspectors access to "all facilities and installations in Iran."

Araghchi, however, appeared to dispute the latter point, saying in an interview released on Wednesday that the accord “does not create access” and that any such access “should be negotiated in due course.”

“Iran expressed concerns, and it is our duty as an international organization to listen to those, and find ways and means to address them,” the nuclear watchdog chief continued.

"It was encouraging for us to see Iran's declared willingness not to leave the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] and to continue working inside the international non-proliferation regime," Grossi said. "Iran and the Agency will now resume cooperation in a respectful and comprehensive way."

Iran announced in early July that it has suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, coming after a 12-day-long conflict with Israel that saw Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iranian officials strongly criticized the IAEA for failing to condemn the Israeli and US attacks and for adopting a resolution in mid-June that accused Iran of failing to comply with its nuclear obligations.

The IAEA resolution, proposed by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, passed with 19 of 35 countries voting in favor of the measure, coming after the watchdog released a report that accused Iran of non-compliance with its nuclear safeguards. 

Tehran balked at the accusations of non-compliance and claimed that it presented Israel a justification for its strikes. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) responded by condemning the resolution and calling cooperation with the IAEA "counterproductive."