Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Wednesday that access by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to its nuclear facilities would be restricted, despite the agreement reached in Egypt.

Mr Araghchi said that Tehran will only grant access to the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, as reported by the state news agency IRNA.

The comments by the Iranian chief diplomat differed from the agreement reached on Tuesday between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog in Cairo for the resumption of IAEA inspections at certain sites.

The inspection at certain sites included those targeted in recent attacks by Israel and the U.S.

The Cairo deal was reached between Araghchi and IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi in talks mediated by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Atti.

In June, Israel waged a 12-day war against Iran and attacked the country’s nuclear facilities, including the underground Fordow site south of the capital, Tehran.

The U.S. later joined the strikes and bombed three key nuclear facilities, including Fordow.

The conflict came amid a long-standing dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme, which Tehran insisted was peaceful.

The 2015 Vienna nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers (China, France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and the U.S.) limited Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

The deal, however, essentially collapsed after President Donald Trump withdrew from it during his first term in office.

(dpa/NAN)