Iran’s nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, dismissed the suggestion of a visit by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, next month. Instead, Eslami extended an invitation for Grossi to attend Iran’s first international nuclear energy conference scheduled for May.
Grossi had expressed concerns about Iran’s continued uranium enrichment beyond the requirements for commercial nuclear use and had announced plans to visit Tehran next month to address strained relations between the IAEA and Iran. Eslami attributed the unlikelihood of a visit next month to a “busy schedule” without providing further details.
Eslami assured that Iran’s interactions with the IAEA were ongoing, with discussions aimed at resolving ambiguities and enhancing cooperation. Meanwhile, Grossi has been invited to participate in Iran’s upcoming international nuclear energy conference in May.
Under the defunct 2015 agreement with world powers, Iran was permitted to enrich uranium only up to 3.67%. However, following the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and the re-imposition of sanctions, Iran exceeded and moved well beyond the nuclear restrictions outlined in the agreement. The UN nuclear watchdog has remarked that the 2015 nuclear deal is now “all but disintegrated.”
