The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is scheduled to meet tomorrow in Tehran with the president of Iran, Masud Pezeshkian, to strengthen ties and clarify uncertainties regarding Iran's nuclear program. This meeting takes place at a time of great global tension, as expressed by the diplomat himself.
This will be the first meeting between Grossi and Pezeshkian since the latter assumed the presidency of Iran last summer. In addition to meeting with the president, the head of the UN nuclear agency is also scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who was involved in the negotiations that led to the historic 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers to ensure the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
In a recent interview with CNN, Grossi mentioned that Iran has enough nuclear material for the manufacture of atomic weapons, although he emphasized that the country does not possess nuclear weapons at this time. In this regard, he expressed the need to negotiate and work to prevent that situation from changing. Grossi underscored the importance of this visit in a context of intense international tension, especially following the recent attacks between Iran and Israel.
The IAEA has been trying to clarify traces of unnatural uranium detected in Iran that were not declared as part of its nuclear program. Relations between Iran and the IAEA have experienced tensions since Iran stopped fully complying with its commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement, in response to the U.S. withdrawal in 2018 during Donald Trump's administration. Iran has restricted inspections, enriched uranium above agreed limits, disconnected surveillance cameras, and banned UN inspectors.
