Grossi: The Maneuvering Space Regarding Iran's Nuclear Program is Diminishing

Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), announced a "diminishing maneuvering space" related to Iran's nuclear program ahead of his trip to Tehran. On Tuesday, November 13, during the UN climate change conference in Baku, Grossi stated, "The Islamic Republic must realize that international conditions are increasingly deteriorating and the maneuvering space is shrinking." The IAEA Director General emphasized the necessity of "finding diplomatic solutions." Referring to the "dimensions, depth, and ambitions" of Iran's nuclear program, Grossi mentioned that ways must be found to "increase the visibility" of the agency. Following the United States' withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with world powers in 2018 during Donald Trump's first presidential term and the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, Iran has increased its nuclear activities. According to that agreement, Tehran limited uranium enrichment, which the West views as a covert effort to develop and expand nuclear weapons capabilities. While efforts to revive the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) have so far failed, Grossi described the 2015 agreement as a "hollow shell." Iran is currently continuing uranium enrichment at 60%, which is very close to the 90% required for bomb production. According to the IAEA, Iran's continued process will yield enough enriched uranium for approximately four nuclear bombs. The Iranian government claims that its nuclear activities are not military and pursue peaceful objectives. Grossi is scheduled to visit Iran on the evening of November 14 to meet with Iranian officials. Previously, in an interview with the Associated Press, Grossi described statements by Masoud Pezeshkian regarding Tehran's readiness to engage over the nuclear agreement as an "opening" for the agency. He said, "What I would like to hear from him is his opinion on returning to a framework agreement. In my opinion, this is something we need to do." Grossi also mentioned that this framework agreement could be based on the JCPOA but must be much stronger given Iran's significantly enhanced capabilities since then. According to Reuters, he also expressed hope to collaborate with Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, to resolve Iran's nuclear challenge. Iranian officials welcomed Grossi's visit and claimed, without providing details, that Tehran is ready to cooperate with the IAEA to resolve existing issues. This claim comes amid Tehran's obstruction of IAEA inspectors' presence in Iran and its lack of transparency regarding uranium traces found at undeclared sites in Iran, which are among the contentious issues.