Iran calls for ‘nonpolitical cooperation’ from IAEA as Grossi visits Tehran

Head of Iran's nuclear energy organization has called for "nonpolitical cooperation" from the the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after meeting the UN body's director general Rafael Grossi in Tehran.

According to Press TV, Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the remarks Saturday in a joint news conference with Grossi who arrived earlier in the day for his third visit under the new Iranian administration. 

Grossi said he had been in regular contacts with his Iranian counterpart, but the two sides "did have a number of important matters" that had not be resolved for a long time and, hence, they had now "decided to try a practical, pragmatic approach" to overcome them.

The visit comes as talks in Vienna 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), are coming to a close. 

Grossi said the Vienna talks and the Iran-IAEA cooperation are interrelated, adding if Iran and the IAEA do not reach an agreement on safeguards issues, it will be difficult to reach an agreement in the Austrian capital. 

Eslami said he reviewed with Grossi the remaining issues on the IAEA chief's previous trips to Iran and those of Iranian officials to Vienna, and "reached a conclusion".

“It was decided to exchange the necessary documents between Iran and the IAEA” by the end of the Iranian month of Khordad on June 21, he added.

The remaining issues, Eslami said, should be resolved in a normal way and hoped that “the new interaction and path we are establishing” with the agency would lead to Iran’s development.

“We hope that the process of cooperation will be nonpolitical and the Iranian nation will see its effects in their lives," he said.

"Political influence and lobbying should not impact the decisions of the IAEA. Iran and the IAEA should follow their issues in a completely professional way and behave within the framework of expertise," Eslami said. "There is no room for any political action."

Grossi said he was committed to advancing the IAEA's cooperation with Iran and helping the Iranian people move towards prosperity.

"It is very important to reach a mutual understanding for cooperation. Nuclear energy is very important for the development of countries, including Iran."

The IAEA chief later met Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

SS