The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is set to visit Iran, according to the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami.
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“Grossi will soon visit Iran,” Eslami said.
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At the end of February, Eslami suggested that the head of the IAEA might visit Iran soon; most likely, the visit will happen from April to the end of May, coinciding with the first International Atomic Conference in the republic.
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In 2015, the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the US, France and Iran made a nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which involved lifting sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program. The United States, under President Donald Trump, pulled out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
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In retaliation, Iran declared a phased reduction in its commitments under the agreement, scrapping limitations on nuclear research, centrifuges and uranium enrichment levels.
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Negotiations took place in Vienna to revive the JCPOA and lift Washington’s sanctions on Tehran. In December 2021, the parties reached agreements on two draft deals, incorporating Iran’s positions, as per the European side.
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Based on Iranian representative Bagheri Kyani, the talks were successful, but US State Department spokesman Ned Price viewed the progress in Vienna as modest, urging Tehran to take the matter seriously. The Vienna negotiation process is currently on hold.
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In December 2021, Iran agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) replace cameras at the Karaj nuclear facility, which had not been granted access to install surveillance cameras earlier or confirmation that the facility had not resumed production of rotor tubes and centrifuge bellows. At the same time, Tehran stated that it would share data from surveillance cameras from a nuclear facility in the city of Karaj only after all American sanctions are lifted.
