Neither date nor agenda clarified
Iran ready for nuclear talks with IAEA chief
April 17, 2024, 3:43 p.m
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The international nuclear agreement is intended to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But that failed. Since then, Tehran has been diligently enriching uranium. In order to resume nuclear talks with the Iranian side, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to travel to Tehran soon.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will soon travel to Tehran and resume nuclear talks with the Iranian side. This was announced by Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammed Eslami. “We have good cooperation with the IAEA and the IAEA chief will also come to Tehran soon to continue the bilateral talks and basically update them,” Eslami said, according to the Iranian news agency Irna. The exact date of the trip has not yet been determined.
Grossi also said in an interview with the US broadcaster CNN on Tuesday that he was in discussions with Tehran about a visit. However, neither a date nor an agenda has been agreed upon so far. Grossi has long sought answers from Iran about secret past nuclear activities. “There are still important information gaps,” Grossi said. With a view to the military tensions between Israel and Iran, the IAEA Director General warned that attacks on nuclear facilities would be a “terrible mistake.” “All sides should exercise extreme restraint,” demanded Grossi.
Tehran atomic bomb possible
Following the collapse of the 2015 international nuclear deal designed to stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, Iran has defaulted in recent years on its technical commitments to the deal. A particular cause for concern is the enrichment of uranium to 60 percent, although Iran was only allowed up to 4 percent in the agreement. According to Tehran, the country is also technically capable of increasing the enrichment process to 90 percent. This would then also enable the construction of an atomic bomb. However, the Iranian leadership maintains that building weapons of mass destruction is not on the country’s military agenda.
Iran’s nuclear program repeatedly leads to tensions between the Islamic Republic and Western states as well as Iran’s arch-enemy Israel. Experts consider Iran’s peaceful use of uranium, which is almost capable of weapons, to be implausible. There are also said to be unclear nuclear projects and secret nuclear facilities to which Iran does not grant the IAEA access. Iran’s nuclear program has been in particular focus again since Iran’s recent attacks on Israel. There are fears that an Israeli counterattack could lead to an escalation. Iran is threatening “devastating” military action in the case.