Grossi in Tehran for talks on Iran-IAEA technical cooperation
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Tehran to hold talks with Iranian officials on the continuation of technical cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the UN nuclear agency.
Heading a delegation, Rafael Grossi arrived early on Saturday and was welcomed by Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).
Grossi is expected to meet with AEOI head Mohammad Eslami and Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
The visit comes as talks between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries aimed at reviving the 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), continue in Vienna.
In a post on his Twitter account, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov wished Grossi “fruitful and successful” discussions with Iranian officials on outstanding safeguards issues.
Prior to his trip to Tehran, the IAEA chief tweeted that his visit takes place at “a critical time but a positive outcome for everyone is possible.”
The Vienna talks began last April on the assumption that the US, under the Joe Biden administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum pressure policy pursued by former president Donald Trump.
Tehran says it won’t settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions in a verifiable manner. It also wants guarantees that Washington would not abandon the agreement again.
MG
