Iran, the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, is taking a “pragmatic approach,” Grossi says
The Secretary-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Saturday in Tehran that the IAEA and Iran agreed to adopt a “practical and pragmatic approach” to resolve outstanding issues.
Rafael Grossi said the IAEA and Iran “have a number of important issues that we need … to resolve”, but have now decided to “try a pragmatic and practical approach” to overcome them.
He was speaking during a joint press conference with Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, after talks deemed crucial to reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Eslami said the two sides had reached “the conclusion that some documents to be exchanged between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Iranian organization should be exchanged” by May 22.
The ongoing talks in the Austrian capital to restore the agreement include Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly.
The 2015 agreement eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, but the United States unilaterally withdrew from them in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump who reimposed crippling economic sanctions.
This prompted Iran to start rolling back its commitments since 2019.
Iran has also imposed restrictions on some inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which wants Tehran to resolve issues related to the past presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites.
The Islamic Republic said completing the investigation was necessary to reach a nuclear deal.
Grossi said the two issues were “inextricably linked”.
“While these processes are parallel in some way…no one can ignore the other,” said the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“So it’s important that there’s this understanding between us today, an understanding of working together, working very intensely,” he added.
(AFP)
