IAEA Director-General Grossi to visit Iran, request access to suspected nuclear sites

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to fly out to Tehran on Monday, August 24 in a bid to convince Iran to allow UN inspectors access to two suspected former atomic sites.

Tensions in the region have been growing since US President Donald Trump unilaterally backed out of the Iran nuclear deal which was brokered by the Obama administration in a bid to stablise the Middle East. Since the 2018 pull-out, the Trump administration has made numerous attempts to reinstate pre-Iran deal sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Read: US Isolated At UNSC Over 'snapback' Sanctions On Iran, 13 Members Oppose Embargo Extension

In an effort to open a fruitful channel of dialogue

The IAEA in June passed a resolution stating that efforts should be made to allow inspectors to check sites mentioned in two of its quarterly reports as these sites may still contain undeclared nuclear materiel or at least traces of them.

In a statement, the United Nations Agency chief said he has decided to fly out to Tehran personally so that he can “reinforce the importance of cooperation and the full implementation of all safeguards commitments and obligations with the IAEA,”.

Read: Pompeo Informs US To Withdraw Snapback Sanctions On Iran If Deal Reached Within 31 Days

The IAEA Director-General further said, “My objective is that my meetings in Tehran will lead to concrete progress in addressing the outstanding questions that the Agency has related to safeguards in Iran and, in particular, to resolve the issue of access.” He also stated that he hopes to establish a fruitful and cooperative channel of direct dialogue with Iran.

Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany have declared that reinstating sanctions on Iran, as per US suggestions, is not the right thing to do and this was made clear after a US-backed resolution in the UN Security Council managed to receive only two votes supporting sanctions against Iran from the 15 Member council. Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany, and Iran have plans to meet in Vienna for a conference on September 1.

Moreover, hitting out at the Trump-led US Government, China in a new attack blamed the country for "unilaterally sanctioning law-abiding countries." This comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo allegedly stated that the US has asked the UN Security Council to initiate a "quick restoration of sanctions" mechanism against Iran.

Read: China Slams US Over Snap Back Of Iran Sanctions, Says It's 'misusing International Law'

Read: UN Atomic Watchdog Chief Heading To Iran; Seeks More Access