IAEA chief stresses need to maintain interaction with Iran

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 May 15:08

Grossi considers that the chances of Tehran returning to the 2015 nuclear deal are slim.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi attends a news conference during a board of governors meeting at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 7, 2021 (Reuters)

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi stressed the necessity of maintaining the agency's interaction with Iran.

In an interview for CBC, Grossi considered that the chances of Tehran returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are slim.

"Probably there could be a return to the negotiating table, but if the interactions between Iran and the agency are seen or assessed as bad and the cooperation is not good, the chances are zero," the IAEA Director General indicated.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian revealed that the course of the country’s cooperation with the IAEA within technical frameworks will soon witness great progress.

In an interview for IRNA, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran is communicating with Washington via multiple channels on the possibility of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and the lifting of unlawful sanctions imposed against the Iranian people.

The Iranian Foreign Minister revealed that "a good development has taken place in the course of cooperation" between Iran and the UN nuclear agency, highlighting that Iran was always critical of Grossi's politically-charged approach toward the nation.

The top Iranian diplomat went on to say that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said unequivocally that Iran is serious about cooperating with the IAEA and wants the UN nuclear agency to operate within technical boundaries and refrain from involving political matters.

"The more the IAEA distances itself from a political approach and moves towards technical cooperation, the more the path for our agreements opens up," Amir-Abdollahian asserted.

He also affirmed that Iran is determined to settle disputes and resolve differences with the IAEA within a framework of constructive and mutual interaction and technical cooperation, while adhering to the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions law passed by the Iranian parliament in December 2020.

"We are close to the next IAEA meeting, and we have notified Mr. Grossi very clearly that Iran and the agency can establish a good and reassuring cooperation if certain foreign parties do not get in the way," he said.

Elsewhere, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that excellent progress will be made in the course of technical collaboration between Iran and the IAEA since both parties have shown a strong desire to take such a step.

Iran and the IAEA are now embroiled in a disagreement sparked by the IAEA's Israeli-influenced charges hurled against Tehran's peaceful nuclear program. The IAEA persists in investigating "uranium traces" discovered at "undeclared nuclear sites" in Iran.

The issue has surfaced as a major sticking point in discussions to resurrect the 2015 nuclear accord, which has been deadlocked since last August. Iran has denounced the investigation as "politically motivated".

During Grossi's visit to Iran in March, the IAEA and Tehran issued a joint statement saying that "Iran, on a voluntary basis, will allow the agency to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities."