TEHRAN - UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi arrived in Iran yesterday, where he is expected to speak at a conference and meet officials for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme. The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tensions, and with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticising Iran for lack of cooperation on inspections and other outstanding issues.
Grossi, the head of the IAEA, “arrived in Tehran yesterday noon at the head of a delegation to participate in the nuclear conference, and negotiate with top nuclear and political officials of the country,” according to Tasnim news agency. Other media in Iran confirmed his arrival.
He is scheduled to meet Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as well as the Islamic republic’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami. Grossi is also expected to deliver a speech at Iran’s first International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology.
The three-day event, which started yesterday, is being held in Isfahan province, home to the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, and where strikes attributed to Israel hit last month.
The IAEA and Iranian officials reported “no damage” to nuclear facilities after the reported attack on Isfahan, widely seen as Israel’s response to Iran’s first-ever direct attack on its arch foe days earlier, which itself was a retaliation for a deadly strike on Tehran’s Damascus consulate.
On Wednesday, Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said he was “sure that these negotiations will further help clear ambiguities, and we will be able to strengthen our relations with the agency”.
Iran in recent years has deactivated IAEA monitoring devices at nuclear facilities and barred inspectors, according to the UN agency. Grossi last visited Iran in March 2023 and met with top officials, including president Ebrahim Raisi.
Iran has suspended its compliance with caps on nuclear activities set by a landmark 2015 deal with major powers after the United States in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
- Nampa/AFP