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dpa
Vienna
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is once again seeking direct talks with Tehran in an attempt to save the nuclear deal with Iran.
IAEA director general Rafael Grossi will meet high-level representatives in the Iranian capital on Saturday, his spokesman said in Vienna on Thursday.
The background to the trip is Tehran’s demand that the IAEA drop its investigation into past, secret nuclear activities in Iran. The issue is one of the final sticking points in negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear pact in Vienna, according to diplomats.It’s thought a decision on whether the agreement can be saved will be made in the coming days. A draft solution to lift US sanctions and place new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme is on the table.
Grossi on Wednesday had rejected linking the outstanding issues on the nuclear programme to diplomatic negotiations on the nuclear agreement.
The IAEA has long sought to clarify the whereabouts of nuclear material at secret nuclear sites in Iran. His agency will never end an investigation for political considerations, Grossi said. “The only way these issues go away is if they are clarified to the full satisfaction of the IAEA,” he told reporters.
The US had pulled out of the pact in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump. Since then renewed US sanctions were met by Tehran’s gradual breach of agreed restrictions on its nuclear programme.
According to a new IAEA report on Iran published Thursday, the country further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in the previous quarter. Iran produced 15.5 kilograms of the chemical, which can be quickly processed to create weapons-grade material, the IAEA said.
Vienna
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is once again seeking direct talks with Tehran in an attempt to save the nuclear deal with Iran.
IAEA director general Rafael Grossi will meet high-level representatives in the Iranian capital on Saturday, his spokesman said in Vienna on Thursday.
The background to the trip is Tehran’s demand that the IAEA drop its investigation into past, secret nuclear activities in Iran. The issue is one of the final sticking points in negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear pact in Vienna, according to diplomats.It’s thought a decision on whether the agreement can be saved will be made in the coming days. A draft solution to lift US sanctions and place new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme is on the table.
Grossi on Wednesday had rejected linking the outstanding issues on the nuclear programme to diplomatic negotiations on the nuclear agreement.
The IAEA has long sought to clarify the whereabouts of nuclear material at secret nuclear sites in Iran. His agency will never end an investigation for political considerations, Grossi said. “The only way these issues go away is if they are clarified to the full satisfaction of the IAEA,” he told reporters.
The US had pulled out of the pact in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump. Since then renewed US sanctions were met by Tehran’s gradual breach of agreed restrictions on its nuclear programme.
According to a new IAEA report on Iran published Thursday, the country further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in the previous quarter. Iran produced 15.5 kilograms of the chemical, which can be quickly processed to create weapons-grade material, the IAEA said.
