Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Visits Tehran

A reporter from Radio Farda in Vienna reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Wednesday, July 1, that Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the agency, is traveling to Tehran on the same day to meet and discuss with the President of Iran and other senior Iranian officials on Thursday. The IAEA stated in a press release that the focus of Mr. Amano's discussions in Tehran will be on 'how to expedite the resolution of all important issues related to Iran's nuclear program, including clarifying the possible military dimensions [of this program].' The IRNA news agency reports that 'a source close to the nuclear negotiating team' has stated that the purpose of Yukiya Amano's visit is 'to discuss past activities and receive Iran's proposals to resolve misunderstandings.' According to Iranian domestic news agencies, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, is among the officials Mr. Amano is scheduled to meet in Tehran. Three days ago, Yukiya Amano also visited the Coburg Hotel in Vienna and met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Western diplomats say that Iran has complied with one of the key conditions of the initial nuclear agreement regarding the significant reduction of its enriched uranium stockpile, which could be used in the construction of nuclear weapons. The IAEA is expected to officially announce this matter. The visit of the IAEA Director General to Tehran comes as nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group continue in Vienna, with the deadline for reaching a final agreement extended by one week, and negotiations will continue until next Tuesday. According to Reuters, Abbas Araqchi, Iran's chief negotiator, said on Wednesday in Vienna that 'there are still issues remaining that we have not been able to agree on, but the atmosphere of the negotiations is positive.' A French diplomat told AFP that Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, is expected to arrive in Vienna on Thursday along with Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, and 'Wang Yi,' the Chinese Foreign Minister, is also planning to join this round of negotiations for the first time.