Director General of the Agency Expresses Hope for Meeting with Behdarvand and Resumption of Nuclear Talks

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hopes to soon meet with Masoud Behdarvand, the President of the Fourteenth Government of the Islamic Republic, and begin discussions to resolve issues related to Tehran's nuclear program. According to a confidential report obtained by AFP, Rafael Grossi has expressed hope that such a meeting could lead to a constructive and fruitful dialogue. The IAEA stated in a confidential report on Thursday that the Islamic Republic has increased its enriched uranium reserves to a level 'close to weapons-grade' in defiance of international demands. The report indicated that the amount of 60% enriched uranium in the Islamic Republic had reached a total of 164.7 kilograms as of August 18, 2024, which is an increase of more than 22 kilograms compared to the previous report in May 2024. Experts say that converting 60% enriched uranium to weapons-grade uranium at 90% purity requires only 'a short and technical step.' The agency noted in its new report that the Iranian government has not yet reconsidered its previous decision to ban IAEA inspectors from visiting its nuclear program, and the agency's surveillance cameras remain disrupted. In another part of its new report, the agency stated that on August 9, it requested access to centrifuge production facilities in Isfahan to service its surveillance cameras, but has not yet received a response from Tehran. According to the agency's report, the Islamic Republic has still not responded to long-standing questions about the origin and location of man-made uranium particles at two previously unreported sites, named Varamin and Torqozabad. Following the recent government elections, Masoud Behdarvand stated that he would meet with Rafael Grossi at the appropriate time. Grossi had also visited Iran last May, but the death of Ebrahim Raisi delayed negotiations. The Islamic Republic has always claimed that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and has no desire to develop nuclear weapons. However, the IAEA and Western countries continue to express their concerns about Tehran's decreasing cooperation with the agency and the increasing nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic.