Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signed a deal with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi in Cairo on Tuesday, as Iran moves to avoid a looming sanctions deadline.

Grossi said the two agreed “on practical modalities to resume inspection activities in Iran,” though it remains unclear whether this will lead to an immediate resumption of inspections or serve as a step toward further negotiations.

In a press conference following the meeting, Araghchi said that the agreement "establishes a practical mechanism for cooperation that reflects both Iran’s exceptional security conditions and the Agency’s technical requirements. It also ensures that cooperation continues in a manner that respects Iran’s national sovereignty and fulfills the Agency’s verification requirements."

He added, however, that "should any hostile action be taken against Iran, including the reinstatement of revoked UN Security Council resolutions, Iran will consider these agreed practical steps null and void."

Speaking at the same press conference, Grossi called the agreement "a step in the right direction," adding that "a lot needs to be done and achieved." Neither Grossi nor Araghchi provided specific details of the agreement.

The meeting between Araghchi, Grossi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty came as part of a wider regional tour by Iran's top diplomat that also includes Tunisia. While in Cairo, Araghchi also held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during which the two discussed bilateral relations, the Iranian nuclear issue and other regional developments, including the war in Gaza and Israel’s strike on Hamas targets in Qatar today.

Ahead of the trilateral meeting with Grossi, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei noted that the new framework between the IAEA and Iran addresses Iran’s safeguards commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) while considering the June war with Israel — which saw the US strike Iran’s Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow nuclear facilities — as well as the recent bill passed in Iran that restricts the country’s cooperation with the IAEA.

The bill, signed into law by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in July shortly after the end of the war, bars IAEA inspectors from entering Iran unless the country’s Supreme National Security Council confirms that the security of Iran’s nuclear sites and personnel is fully guaranteed. It also stipulates the formal recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium under the NPT. 

Just days after the bill was enacted, IAEA inspectors left the country. Two briefly returned in early September to oversee refueling at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant but reportedly departed afterward.

Iranian officials held a round of talks with IAEA officials last Friday in Vienna, aimed at establishing a “new framework of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA,” according to Reza Najafi, Iran’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna.  

Efforts to restore cooperation with the IAEA gained urgency after France, the UK and Germany (the E3) — the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal — triggered the agreement’s snapback mechanism on Aug. 29. The provision allows any signatory to unilaterally reinstate UN sanctions on Iran.