TEHERAN - Iran remains a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and continues to abide by its safeguards agreement with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday.

"In fulfilling these safeguards obligations, we are maintaining interactions with the IAEA while taking into account the parliament's law, which designates the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) as the authority responsible for decisions on cooperation with the agency," Baghaei said.

Under a comprehensive safeguards agreement, the IAEA has the right and obligation to ensure that safeguards are applied on all nuclear material in the territory, jurisdiction or control of the state for the exclusive purpose of verifying that such material is not diverted to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

Baghaei explained that some aspects of Iran's engagement with the IAEA constitute "routine collaborations" aligned with national interests, citing the fuel replacement at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and the oversight of the Teheran research reactor as examples.

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Iran had suspended cooperation with the IAEA in June under a parliamentary law, citing the agency's failure to condemn Israeli and US attacks on its nuclear sites and concerns about the safety of its facilities and scientists.

Baghaei added that after the suspension, any requests made by the agency are examined on a case-by-case basis by the SNSC and acted upon according to the council's decisions.