Monitoring Desk
TEHRAN: Iran on Monday said the head of the Vienna-based United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, is all set to visit Tehran “soon” amid a dispute over uranium enrichment levels.
Earlier this month, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was in discussions with Tehran after Bloomberg News reported that the nuclear watchdog’s inspectors in Iran had found uranium enriched up to 84 percent purity.
Iran denied the Bloomberg News report, insisting it had not attempted to enrich uranium beyond 60 percent, well beyond the 3.67 percent limit set out in a landmark deal reached with world powers in 2015.
On Monday, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said Grossi would travel to Tehran “in the coming days” after an official invitation from its director, Mohammad Eslami.
“In recent days, we have had promising and constructive discussions” with the IAEA team that was already in Iran to clear doubts regarding its nuclear program, said AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi.
“It is hoped that this visit will form the basis for a clearer horizon and greater cooperation between Iran and the IAEA,” Kamalvandi added.
Deadlock over Iran’s nuclear activities
The latest trip by the IAEA inspectors is taking place amid a deadlock in talks on reviving the 2015 agreement that promised Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities.
The curbs were intended to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition Tehran has always denied.
The United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Tehran to suspend the implementation of its commitments under the deal known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
