Grossi: Encouraging Signs of the Islamic Republic's Willingness for More Effective Cooperation with the Agency

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency announced on Tuesday that after negotiations in New York, encouraging signs of the Islamic Republic's willingness for more effective cooperation with the Agency have been observed, and he intends to travel to Tehran in October regarding this matter. Rafael Grossi stated in an interview with Reuters, "I feel there is a real willingness for more meaningful engagement from Iran with us." He expressed hope that during his visit to Tehran, he could achieve tangible progress in restoring technical discussions with Iran and meet with Masoud Pezeshkian. Grossi emphasized, "Now we need to give this willingness practical content. We are not starting from scratch, but we have gone through a long process without answers to some questions." The Director General of the IAEA stated, "Iran is proceeding at a regular pace and continuing its nuclear activities without much haste." According to the report, several issues, including Tehran's prevention of uranium enrichment experts' access to the inspection team and the inability to explain the presence of uranium traces at undeclared sites, continue to affect relations between Iran and the Agency. Grossi met with Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister and one of the main architects of the 2015 nuclear agreement that limited Iran's enrichment capabilities, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. While nuclear negotiations have stalled due to elections in Iran and the upcoming elections in the U.S., Iranian and European officials have met in New York to find ways to reduce tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program, its role in the Ukraine war, and regional issues. Despite the Agency's decisions to compel Iran to cooperate regarding uranium traces and lift restrictions on inspectors, little change has occurred, and recent Agency reports from August 29 indicate that no significant progress has been made. According to these reports, Iran has installed eight new cascades at the Fordow site but has not yet activated them. In Natanz, 15 cascades of advanced models are operational. He also emphasized that to revive nuclear negotiations, necessary preparations for greater transparency regarding Iran's nuclear activities must be provided by the Agency, and a new approach must be adopted to achieve results, as previous methods will no longer be effective. Rafael Grossi expressed hope for finding a solution to the Agency's disputes with Tehran in his upcoming meeting with Pezeshkian. The Director General of the IAEA stated that he will soon travel to Iran for "important meetings." Warnings from the U.S. and European powers regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities: The patience of the Board of Governors has its limits. Grossi: The Islamic Republic's enrichment activities continue at high levels; I am not scheduled to meet with Pezeshkian at the UN. The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization claims: There is no deviation in our nuclear program. The Director General of the Agency expressed hope for a meeting with Pezeshkian and the resumption of nuclear talks. The Agency: The Islamic Republic has increased its stockpile of enriched uranium "close to weapon-grade."