The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, hopes to hold talks with new Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian by November to improve cooperation on the nuclear program.
This is what he said on Monday, quoted by "Reuters".
"He agreed to meet with me at an appropriate time, Grossi said in a statement at a quarterly meeting of his agency's 35-nation governing board. I encourage Iran to facilitate such a meeting in the near future so that we can establish a constructive dialogue that quickly leads to real results,'' he said.
With nuclear diplomacy largely at a standstill between Iran and the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, Grossi said he wants to make real progress soon.
Asked at a press conference if his reference to the "not too distant future" means before or after the US election, Grossi said: "No, I hope it happens before then.
Resolutions by the IAEA's board ordering Iran to urgently cooperate with the uranium trace probe and calling on it to lift its ban on inspectors brought little change, and quarterly IAEA reports reviewed by "Reuters" on August 29, show no progress.
Iran responded to the latest resolution in June by announcing an expansion of its enrichment capacity, installing more centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium, at its sites in Natanz and Fordow.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he does not seek to be enemies with Iran, but will not allow the country to have nuclear weapons. In an interview with Fox News in early September, Trump warned that if Iran gets nuclear weapons, "Israel will not have them.".
Trump and other Republicans have criticized the administration of current President Joe Biden for being too soft on Iran, allowing it to circumvent US economic sanctions. They claim this leniency allowed Tehran to arm Hamas, making it easier to attack Israel on October 7.