Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he had urged Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog to resume nuclear cooperation as Tehran continues to bar inspections of nuclear sites attacked in a June war.
Abdelatty conveyed the message in telephone calls to Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry on Friday.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but Western powers and Israel doubt its intentions.
Egypt's efforts aim "to support security and stability in the region by finding peaceful solutions to the Iranian nuclear file," it said, adding Abdelatty "stressed the importance of continuing the dialogue between the two sides and resuming and strengthening cooperation."
The two sides inked a deal in Cairo in September aimed at resuming full IAEA access but little progress appears to have been made.
Iran suspended cooperation with IAEA inspectors after a 12-day war in June against Israel and the United States in which they attacked Iranian nuclear sites, codified via a new law passed by parliament.
Under the post-war law, inspections proceed via Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) approval for limited IAEA access at non-stricken sites, maintaining safeguards obligations under conditional cooperation while excluding full reporting and Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) oversight.
Iran had warned the any concessions on inspections would be void if Western sanctions return. Since the re-imposition of UN sanctions last month, the agreement's fate with the agency remains unclear.
"We are trying to build it back, and we are inspecting in Iran," Grossi said on Wednesday. "Not at every site where we should be doing it—but we are gradually coming back."
Grossi added there was no indication of any suspicious activity at the sites attacked by Iran's foes.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported Tuesday, citing satellite imagery, that Iran has continued construction at a major underground nuclear site near Natanz.
The sharp rise, officials say, reverses ten years of gradual decline in traffic deaths and reflects the country’s worsening vehicle safety, outdated road networks, and weak enforcement of driving standards.
The figure broke a ten-year record, with fatalities exceeding 20,000 for the first time since 2011, Abbas Masjedi, head of the Legal Medicine Organization, told Dideban Iran.
“Unfortunately, last year, for the first time in ten years, we recorded more than 20,000 deaths caused by traffic accidents,” Masjedi said. “During the previous decade, the figure always stayed below that mark. After the pandemic, travel increased again, and the number of deaths rose as a result,” he said.
Nearly half a million people, Masjedi added, were injured in crashes last year, with 7 to 10 percent suffering permanent disabilities. He described the losses as “a heavy burden on the national healthcare system and public funds,” estimating that the lifetime cost per serious injury could reach 90 billion rials (nearly $90,000).
Road safety analysts attribute the surge not only to driver error but also to systemic failures – notably the poor quality of domestically produced vehicles and long-neglected accident-prone roads. Studies have shown that Iranian-made cars routinely fail crash safety standards, turning even minor collisions into deadly incidents.
Large sections of Iran’s intercity network, particularly the northern and southern corridors, lack basic safety features such as guardrails, lighting, and warning signs, according to the Legal Medicine Organization. Urban centers like Tehran, where traffic density is among the highest in the region, also account for a growing share of fatal accidents.
Preventive spending urged
Masjedi urged authorities to redirect more funding from emergency response to prevention, including upgrading road infrastructure and improving vehicle safety.
“Investment in prevention is worth every rial,” Masjedi said. “If we fix these dangerous points and improve vehicle quality, we can save thousands of lives each year.”
The latest figures highlight the human and economic toll of road accidents in Iran, where transport safety has long lagged behind international standards despite repeated government pledges to reduce fatalities by 10 percent annually.
