IAEA chief cites ‘progress’ in talks during Iran visit
Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi has described his latest visit to Iran as important, saying that a clear understanding was reached on the continuation of cooperation on resolving safeguards issues.
Grossi was speaking with reporters in Vienna on Saturday, following his two-day trip to Tehran that began a day earlier.
During his visit, the IAEA chief met with top officials, including President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami.
Grossi referred to the joint statement issued by the UN nuclear watchdog and the AEOI, saying that a general framework for moving forward has been achieved.
In response to a question on political claims on the safeguards issues, he said that minor technical issues are not discussed in talks with high-ranking Iranian officials. What is discussed, he added, is the level of cooperation, and that "it is now time to reach a tangible result".
“That was the atmosphere of the talks and I believe that we have reached a clear understanding to soon begin tangible measures,” he added.
In response to another question on Iran enriching uranium at 60% purity, Grossi said that the Islamic Republic does not need to explain to the IAEA in this regard.
He said that the IAEA should be assured that it has enough capabilities for inspecting nuclear activities. “They carry out the enrichment at the level they announce and then we conduct necessary inspections.”
The IAEA chief said that the results of his talks held with the Iranian officials on Friday and Saturday were “satisfactory”, adding that technical meetings will soon take place in Iran to resolve the safeguards issues, without giving details on the agenda of the planned talks.
Referring to the dragging-on of the process to resolve the safeguards issues, Grossi said that what is important for him is the current situation. “I believe that real progress was made in talks with the Iranian government on the issues I raised.”