Iran International
The head of UN’s nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, told reporters on Monday that his meeting with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi March 4 had “enormous importance.”
Pressed by a reporter to say how his latest trip to Tehran was different from all his other previous visits that failed to resolve outstanding issues, Grossi said “there were many differences,” emphasizing that he had a chance to point out the unresolved issues with the Iranian side.
The director general of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) also added that he had a “very substantive” discussion with Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. He emphasized that “talking to the decision makers” in politics “makes a big difference.”
Although Grossi highlighted his meetings with Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian, the main decision maker is the country’s ruler Ali Khamenei who controls foreign and military polices.
Grossi argued that in all areas of IAEA interaction with the Islamic Republic there was “substantive” progress. In case of the Fordow uranium enrichment facility “there will be inspection almost every other day,” he said.
In February, news emerged that the IAEA had found uranium particles at Fordow that were enriched to 84 percent – much higher than Iran’s 60-percent enrichment since 2021 – and close to weapons-grade uranium of 90-percent purity.
He also claimed that there were agreements on more monitoring mechanisms, which can mean more instruments placed in nuclear sites.
However, Iranian officials and government websites have since denied any increased surveillance except a marginal increase of monitoring at Fordow. They have categorically denied that they agreed with Grossi to allow more cameras to be placed in Iranian nuclear installations.
Asked about these statements Grossi said he is not dismayed because he pays attention to what officials have promised him and watches their actions, emphasizing that “this is a new phase.”
“I believe there is a good opportunity,” the IAEA director said, adding that “I cannot guarantee…when people say these were promises, it is not just promises, we do have certain agreements.”
What was also revealing was Grossi’s statement that “I have to do my job and I continue, and I might have been frustrated as many other people…when there are no results… but this was a step in the right direction.”
What some journalists and critics say is that Iran might have gone a bit further this time to offer cooperation, but Grossi’s trip took place just days before the IAEA Board meeting, which leaves no time to test Tehran’s sincerity before the issue comes up in the meeting.
The Board has already censured Iran in its previous meetings for lack of cooperation with the IAEA, and with the revelation of 84-percent enrichment, the ground was set to issue another rebuke. With Grossi traveling to Tehran right before the meeting and returning with hopes of Iranian cooperation, the Board will have less reason this week to censure the Islamic Republic, although there is no real evidence that it will cooperate fully with the Agency.
Grossi admitted that he cannot even set a timetable for resolving issues with Iran. He told a reporter, who asked if he expected progress by the next Board meeting in June, that “these things take time.”
Regrading the chances to resume JCPOA talks between Iran and the West, Grossi said he is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, as this issue is beyond IAEA’s responsibilities. All he can hope is that his agency does its job to the fullest.
Talks that began in Vienna in April 2021 to revive the 2015 nuclear accord reached a deadlock last September. Since then, the United States has been saying that is not focused on the JCPOA talks, but is concerned about Tehran’s repression against domestic protests and supplying weapons to Russia.
IRNA published what it called “an infographic”Monday morning local time that included six short sentences each ‘debunking’ what it said were “six false claims about Iran and IAEA agreements after Rafael Grossi’s trip.”
Some of the six points, presented as responses by Iran’s nuclear agency, directly rejected statements by Grossi after his return to Vienna Saturday evening.
Iran is supposed to provide access to information, locations and people, Grossi told a news conference at Vienna airport soon after landing, suggesting a vast improvement after years of Iranian stonewalling.
The first three “lies” Iran’s nuclear agency refutes is about more inspections of nuclear installation that Iran has substantially reduced since early 2021 after its parliament passed a law restricting cooperation with the IAEA and mandating higher levels of enrichment.
First point in red fonts showed, “Individuals will be permitted to have access to Iran’s nuclear installation,” as one of the alleged fallacies. A sentence following this statement says, response by the Iran’s nuclear energy agency: “Access by individuals was never raised [in talks with Grossi] and no text was written about this.
The second point refutes Grossi’s statement that new monitoring cameras will be installed: “There was no discussion or agreement over installing cameras.”
The third point in the “infographic” rejects Grossi’s statement that there will be a 50-percent increase in monitoring. It says that the only increase will be in Fordow uranium enrichment site where “inspections will increase from 8 to 11.”
The fourth point pertains to a long-running dispute with the IAEA over traces of uranium found in three sites used for secret nuclear activities prior to 2003. The UN nuclear watchdog is demanding a full explanation and so far the Islamic Republic has not provided it.
The fourth point rejects the claim that the IAEA will have access to the three sites, saying that the Agency once inspected these locations and has not requested another round of access.
Immediately after Grossi’s departure from Tehran, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi had already denied giving access to individuals.
"During the two days that Mr. Grossi was in Iran, the issue of access to individuals was never raised," Kamalvandi told state news agency IRNA, adding there also has been no deal regarding putting new cameras in Iran's nuclear facilities.
On Sunday, Nour News, a website affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council rejected giving new access to the IAEA to inspect the three disputed sites.
IRNA’s publication of the infographic is yet another attempt to downplay the notion that the IAEA will be given more monitoring access to nuclear sites.
The IAEA and Iran had issued a joint statement at the end of Grossi’s trip, just two days before a quarterly meeting of IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors.
The statement went into little detail but the possibility of a marked improvement in relations between the two is likely to stave off a Western push for another resolution ordering Iran to cooperate, diplomats said. Iran has, however, made similar promises before that have yielded little or nothing.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that talks were ongoing with the Iranian side on two sets of important matters including the science sector. He referred to the large presence of reporters, saying it showed “great expectations” about the important issues between the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Rafael Grossi began meetings in Tehran on Friday that diplomats said were meant to push Iran to cooperate with IAEA on answering questions about why traces of uranium enriched to 84 percent were recently found in one of its nuclear facilities and also traces of fissile material discovered in 2019 at some of its older undeclared sites.
Grossi, who was speaking during a joint news conference with Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said the talks were taking place in an "atmosphere of work, honesty and cooperation".
But beyond that it was not clear how much progress the two sides have made on the key issues since talks began on Friday.
The official Iranian news website IRNA published a report on the news conference, which revealed very little, except a barrage of questions by local reporters about Israel’s nuclear program and its threats to attack Iranian nuclear installations. From what IRNA said, it appeared Grossi tried to dodge those questions.
ISNA semi-official new website published quotes by Mohammad Eslami, saying, “We expect relations with IAEA and its reports to create trust so that we can establish normal ties despite the actions of those who want to sabotage [good relation].”
Iran is concerned about the quarterly meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors next week and the report Grossi will submit about Iran’s willingness to cooperate with the agency, and about the 84-percent enriched uranium. The board has repeatedly censured Iran for lack of cooperation.
Eslami added; “We held talks with this intent and I am certain they will have lasting effects.” He reiterated his previous position that Iran did not have any uranium enrichment beyond 60 percent.
Iran has been exceeding the 3.67 percent enrichment level set by the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) since 2019, after the United States withdrew from the agreement and imposed sanctions. But the excess enrichment had not exceeded 60-percent purity until news emerged in February that IAEA inspectors had detected uranium particles enriched to near 84 percent. It is not clear if the near-weapons grade enrichment was accidental or intentional.
Eslami also referred to a dinner Friday night, where it appears the Islamic Republic did its best to impress Grossi. Eslami mentioned the large number of women present at the dinner and referred particularly to widows of nuclear scientists killed in the past. He claimed that Grossi was impressed.
Grossi also spoke of technical and scientific cooperation with Iran, and sounded happy with the Friday night dinner, according to Fararu website in Tehran, a semi-independent news outlet.