The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, warned that the agency is still not satisfied with Iran's cooperation with international inspectors, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Against this backdrop, European leaders appear ready to reimpose sanctions on Tehran after a series of last-minute meetings failed to reach a diplomatic solution over its nuclear program.
Although Iran allowed inspectors to return for the first time since the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June, restoring access to key nuclear facilities is still “a work in progress,“ Grossi told the AP.
“I can say that it is important that the inspectors return. At the same time, we still need to clarify a number of things and we still need to address all the issues that are important in terms of the inspections that we need to carry out in Iran,” he added.
Grossi spoke after meeting with senior officials in Washington, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also spoke yesterday with his counterparts from Germany, France and Britain.
Rubio and Grossi discussed global nuclear security and “the IAEA’s efforts to conduct monitoring and verification activities, including in Iran,” a State Department brief said.
The leaders of the three European countries – known as the E3 – have spent the past few weeks meeting with Iranian officials, seeking a solution before a deadline this week on the threat of reimposing U.N. sanctions. They warned they would trigger the so-called “quick implementation mechanism” from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal because of what the parties consider Iran's non-compliance with the agreement.
Grossi said it was a breakthrough that IAEA inspectors had been allowed to return to Iran for the first time since Israel and the United States attacked Iranian nuclear sites.
“There were many voices in Iran that advocated ending all cooperation with the agency, and there were voices around the world that said that maybe the IAEA would never come back and that we would lose this indispensable work that we do on behalf of the international community,“ Grossi added.
According to him, IAEA inspectors had returned to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, but not yet to other sites, including those targeted by the US strikes. He said he had no immediate plans to return to Iran – he last visited the country earlier this year – but remains in contact with Iranian officials to discuss the logistics of IAEA access to all sites.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Wednesday that inspectors were at the facility to monitor fuel replacement. But he cautioned that this did not constitute a breakthrough in the IAEA's visits to other sites.