Yukiya Amano to Visit Tehran in the Coming Days

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced after a meeting with Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that Mr. Amano will visit Tehran in '3 or 4 days.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Ali Akbar Salehi stated on Tuesday, September 14, that Iran's 'past' nuclear activities were the 'most important' issue raised in this meeting and expressed hope that with an agreement between Iran and the IAEA, 'this issue will be resolved by December 15 of this year in a way that the JCPOA will be operational.' Mr. Salehi's remarks come as Abbas Araqchi, a senior member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team, stated on July 22 that the potential military dimensions of the nuclear program (PMD) are 'not related to the Vienna nuclear agreement and are not part of it.' He emphasized that Iran and the IAEA will not wait for the implementation of the Vienna agreement to resolve the PMD issue. However, Mr. Araqchi did not clarify whether resolving the PMD issue is necessary for the implementation of the Vienna agreement. Iran's past activities at the Parchin military site have been a point of contention between the Islamic Republic and the IAEA. Meanwhile, based on a 'roadmap' signed on July 14, just hours before the official announcement of the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group, the two sides reached a 'separate agreement' regarding inspections of the Parchin military site. According to this 'roadmap,' Tehran has provided the necessary documents to clarify ambiguities regarding the potential military dimensions of its nuclear program to the IAEA. However, on Wednesday, September 9, the IAEA announced that the information provided by Iran regarding its past nuclear program has 'ambiguities' that Tehran must clarify. The day after this report, Reza Najafi, Iran's representative at the IAEA, announced that Tehran is studying the agency's questions and that 'technical meetings' will soon be held in Tehran. Mr. Salehi also announced that a 13-member team of IAEA experts will travel to Tehran on Tuesday evening. Previously, Ali Asghar Zarean, deputy of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, had mentioned the visit of IAEA inspectors and stated that visiting military sites is 'not on the agenda' for this round of inspections. Iranian officials and the IAEA have emphasized the confidentiality of the 'roadmap,' but on August 19, the Associated Press reported that this agreement allows Tehran to use its own experts for inspections of the Parchin facilities. However, Reuters reported on Friday, September 11, citing Western diplomats, that during sampling at the Parchin military site, IAEA inspectors will also be present alongside Iranian specialists.