PM:05:23:04/03/2023
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SULAIMANI — The UN nuclear watchdog chief on Saturday cited
cooperation with Iran to resolve outstanding issues related to the country's
nuclear program.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), arrived in Tehran on Friday on a two-day visit aimed at
resolving issues that are obstructing the revival of 2015 nuclear deal.
Addressing a joint press conference with Iran's nuclear
agency chief Mohammad Eslami, Grossi said the two sides must closely work
together on "guarantees and assurances" regarding Iran's nuclear
program.
His visit came amid a stalemate in talks aimed at the
revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA), with cooperation between Iran and the IAEA emerging as
one of the key sticking points.
Recent reports about Iran ramping up uranium enrichment up
to 84 percent purity, based on a leaked report by an IAEA inspector, have also
fueled tension between the two sides and sparked international concerns.
Iran's nuclear agency dismissed findings in the IAEA report
as a "mistake" and said the IAEA inspector in a follow-up visit
"rectified" it.
Iran's nuclear agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told
local media that it was "natural" to have some particles in the
enrichment process with a higher level of purity, but the enrichment level
remains at 60 percent, below 90 percent considered weapons-grade.
The report, however, triggered concern in the international
community, with the US, Israel and some European countries saying Iran was
preparing to make a nuclear bomb.
The IAEA probe into what it claims are traces of uranium
found at "three undeclared nuclear sites" in Iran has also been a
bone of contention between Iran and the West, complicating efforts to revive
the nuclear deal that the US abandoned in 2018.
Grossi said the two sides are "working hard" to
resolve the issue related to the "undeclared sites", adding that the
leak of IAEA reports makes him "angry and disappointed."
As for sabotage attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, which
Tehran has mostly blamed on Israel, the UN nuclear agency chief said any
"military action" on nuclear power plants is "condemnable"
and "illegal".
He also deflected criticism about the UN agency's
"non-political approach", as alleged by Iran, stressing that it is
"important and necessary" for Tehran and the IAEA to
"communicate more directly so that other countries are not allowed to
influence".
"The agency has never been used as a political tool. We
have a board of governors and we don't take orders from anyone," Grossi
said, obliquely referring to the US and Israel.
As for Israel’s nuclear sites, the IAEA chief said
inspections are based on agreements under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), which Iran has signed but Israel hasn't, insisting that all countries
"should sign the treaty".
Iran's nuclear agency chief said Grossi's visit, the first
since March last year, is a message to boost communications and ties between
the agency and Iran, adding that some countries seek to "disrupt"
their cooperation.
On the possibility of an anti-Iran resolution at the IAEA's
upcoming quarterly board of governors meeting, Eslami said a decision on counter-measures
will be taken if it takes place, adding the cooperation between them will
continue.
He also accused other signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal,
namely the US and the European troika of the UK, France and Germany, of
"not fulfilling their commitments" under the agreement, which he said
prompted Tehran to scale up back its commitments and ramp up enrichment.
The nuclear deal talks, underway in Vienna since April 2021,
have been stalled since last August over issues related to Iran's cooperation with
the IAEA, reports about Iran's drone supply to Russia and months of protests in
the country.
Western countries have imposed a slew of sanctions on
Iranian officials and entities in recent months, mostly related to protests in
the country and drone shipments to Russia.
(NRT Digital Media/AA)