IAEA Chief in Tehran for Talks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi arrived in Tehran on Friday and held talks with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami.
The UN nuclear chief has visited Iran to hold talks with senior officials with technical nuclear issues high on the agenda. Grossi is going to hold talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during his two-day visit.
Grossi was greeted at the airport by Behrouz Kamalvandi, the AEOI spokesman, upon his arrival and rushed to meet the Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami.
This is Grossi’s fourth visit to Iran since assuming office in December 2019 and comes ahead of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on Monday.
Iran and the IAEA are at odds over several issues concerning the country's nuclear activities. The UN nuclear watchdog said in a confidential quarterly report that it had detected particles of uranium enriched to 83.7 percent during an inspection of the Fordow nuclear facility on January 22.
On Wednesday, Eslami rejected the accusation, asserting that there has been “no deviation” in Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, Press TV reported.
“Regarding the 84% particle, which was a sample from the side of a tap in the process, the particle cannot be even seen with a microscope. What is important is the amount of material that is stored after production,” the AEOI said.
Grossi's important visit can help end the deadlock in the talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).