TEHRAN, Nov 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that the United States, Britain, Germany and France were pursuing a path of "escalation" following the passage of a new resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog.

The resolution, adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) board on Thursday, demanded Tehran provide "full and prompt" cooperation including access to sensitive nuclear sites.

"Given that the E3 and the US seek escalation, they know full well that the official termination of the Cairo Agreement is the direct outcome of their provocations," Araghchi said on X.

The Cairo Agreement was reached in September between Iran and the IAEA to establish a framework for cooperation, but was deemed invalid by Tehran last month when the three European countries, or E3, triggered the return of UN sanctions that had been lifted under a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal.

Following Thursday's passage of the new resolution, Iran sent an official letter to the IAEA saying the Cairo Agreement was "null and void".

The agreement had aimed to address Tehran's restrictions on access for IAEA inspectors following a war between the Islamic republic and its longtime foe Israel.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that the United States briefly joined with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

The war derailed high-level nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington that had begun in April, during which the two sides were at odds over Iran's right to enrich uranium -- which Tehran defends as "inalienable".

"Like the diplomacy which was assaulted by Israel and the US in June, the Cairo Agreement has been killed by the US and the E3," Araghchi said in his post Friday.

The diplomat had earlier said the provision of access to nuclear sites attacked during the war hinged on striking a new understanding between Iran and the IAEA.

The new IAEA resolution, he said at the time, was "disrupting the process of interactions and cooperation".