Talks with IAEA fruitful, based on mutual respect: Gharibabadi

Iran’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna says representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iranian officials have held “fruitful discussions” based on mutual respect in Tehran.

“Iran and the IAEA held fruitful discussions based on mutual respect,” Kazem Gharibabadi tweeted Sunday afternoon, a day after IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrived in the Iranian capital for talks about issues relating to the agency’s inspection of Iran’s nuclear energy program, Press TV reported.

Grossi’s visit came after Iran informed the IAEA of its decision to end the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, which allows the IAEA inspectors to carry out closer inspections of Iran’s nuclear program.

In early December, lawmakers passed a law to further accelerate the development of the peaceful nuclear program. The law is a firm reaction to Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal of 2015 – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – and the illegal sanctions the US has imposed against Iran.

Among other things, the law tasked the Iranian administration to stop allowing inspections beyond the Safeguards Agreement, including the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, if the other parties to the JCPOA failed to deliver on their commitments before a two-month deadline, which fell on February 21.

In a tweet earlier on Sunday, the IAEA said Grossi’s trip to Tehran was aimed at finding a mutually agreeable solution so that the IAEA can continue its essential verification activities in Iran.

“A press conference is planned for this evening upon his arrival from Iran,” the UN watchdog added.

Meanwhile, Stephan Klement, head of the EU delegation to the international organizations in Vienna, also voiced support for Grossi’s trip on Sunday, saying the EU continues to support Grossi’s efforts to find understanding with Iran over the issue.

SS