Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman says IAEA chief to visit Tehran today

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, will visit the capital city of Iran on Monday evening. He reportedly added that the IAEA chief is scheduled to meet with the country's top officials on the following day, including President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. 

READ: IAEA Director-General Grossi To Visit Iran, Request Access To Suspected Nuclear Sites

IAEA chief to hold talks

According to the reports, Grossi announced that he would travel to Iran in order to hold talks with the country's top officials on Tehran's acquiescence with the 2015 nuclear deal. The Iranian mission in Vienna reportedly said that Grossi's visit is taking place at the country's invitation. 

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The IAEA chief tweeted, "I will travel to Tehran on Monday for meetings with Iranian authorities to address outstanding questions related to safeguards in Iran. I hope to establish a fruitful and cooperative channel of direct dialogue. It is necessary."

Addressing a press conference the spokesman was quoted by news agency ANI saying, "If the International Atomic Energy Agency works in the technical field and in accordance with the laws agreed upon in the nuclear agreement, problems will never appear". The spokesman added that the main aim behind Grossi's visit  is to boost bilateral cooperation between Tehran and the agency. 

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. 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.

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Image: AP