After meetings in New York, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed hope for progress and plans a visit to Tehran, quoted by News.bg.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, announced on Tuesday that after talks in New York, he sensed a greater willingness on the part of Iranian representatives to engage with "more meaningful" talks with the Agency. Grossi expressed hope that he will be able to visit Tehran in October, reports Reuters.
There are several unresolved issues between Iran and the IAEA, including the Iranian authorities' ban on uranium enrichment experts' access to facilities subject to inspection and the lack of explanation for the discovery of traces of uranium at undeclared sites.
Grossi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi, one of the key architects of the 2015 nuclear deal, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. He told Reuters: "I feel ready to re-engage with us in a more meaningful way."
While nuclear diplomacy remains at a standstill, Grossi expressed a desire for rapid progress in technical discussions with Iran and stressed the importance of restoring cooperation.
The IAEA has issued a number of resolutions calling on Iran to cooperate, but so far progress in this direction has been minimal.
During this time, the development of Iran's nuclear program also advanced. By the end of the quarter, the latest IAEA reports showed that Iran had completed the installation of eight new uranium enrichment cascades at Fordow, but had not yet put them into operation.
At its larger underground facility in Natanz, which enriches uranium to 5% purity, Iran has turned on 15 new cascades of advanced model centrifuges.
"Iran maintains a steady pace without accelerating too much, but continues," Grossi said, adding that Fordo's stunts remain inoperative.
Iran stepped up work on its nuclear program in 2019 after then-US President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal reached under his predecessor Barack Obama.