Iran IAEA Director Grossi holds talks on Iran's nuclear program

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is in Tehran to continue discussions on Iran's controversial nuclear program. Meetings with high-ranking Iranian representatives are on the agenda.

Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has traveled to Tehran to push forward negotiations on Iran's controversial nuclear program. According to the Iranian state news agency Irna, initial talks are planned with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Grossi will also meet with Mohammed Eslami, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, and for the first time with President Massud Peseshkian, who is considered a moderate. These meetings are part of efforts to improve transparency and cooperation between the IAEA and Iran.

Concerns about uranium enrichment

Grossi expressed his concern about the increase in highly enriched uranium in Iran. He criticized Tehran for not allowing experienced IAEA inspectors into the country and for refusing to discuss open questions about secret nuclear activities. The talks in Tehran are intended to help implement existing agreements and ensure the necessary transparency for the work of the IAEA.

Background to the nuclear agreement

As part of the 2015 Vienna nuclear agreement, Iran committed to limiting its nuclear program, which led to the lifting of Western sanctions. However, following the unilateral withdrawal of the USA from the agreement in 2018 and the imposition of new sanctions, Iran began to gradually ignore the agreements. The uranium enrichment level was increased to 60 percent and the stockpile of enriched uranium exceeded 6,000 kilograms. Cooperation with the IAEA was also severely restricted.

Political challenges and future prospects

During the election campaign, President Peseshkian emphasized his desire to resume nuclear negotiations with the West in order to end the international sanctions that have plunged the country into a severe economic crisis. Grossi's visit could be a first step in this direction. Nevertheless, observers believe that negotiations with the Western parties to the Vienna Agreement - Germany, France, the UK and the USA - are unlikely to take place soon, given the complex political situation.

US President-elect Donald Trump is an opponent of the nuclear agreement and had caused the US to withdraw from the deal during his first term in office. Diplomatic relations with Germany are tense due to the execution of a German-Iranian. Paris and London have also shown little interest in new negotiations so far. There is also a risk of military conflict with Israel, which has not ruled out attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

SDA