The head of the UN nuclear watchdog will visit Tehran Monday, Iran’s atomic agency said, as the Vienna-based body reported that the Islamic republic has boosted its stock of highly-enriched uranium.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi had expressed concern on November 12 over a lack of contact with the Iranian government, describing it as “astonishing”.
He said he had hoped to meet Iranian officials ahead of the next meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors, scheduled for next week.
Later this month talks are due to restart in Vienna on reviving the moribund 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
Those negotiations will be attended by the remaining parties — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — while the US will participate indirectly.
Grossi said last week about Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration that “I have not had any contact with this government… that has been there for more than five months”.
The only exceptions had been “technical conversations” with Iran’s new atomic energy chief Mohamed Eslami, he said.
Iran responded three days later by confirming it had extended an invitation to Grossi.
The head of the UN agency “will arrive on the evening of Monday, November 22 in Tehran”, Iran’s atomic agency spokesman told Fars news agency Wednesday.
Grossi will Tuesday meet Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Eslami, the spokesman for Iran’s atomic energy agency added.
Also on Wednesday the IAEA said in a report seen by AFP that its estimate of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium as of November 6, was 2,489.7 kilogrammes — many times in excess of the limit laid down in the 2015 agreement.
The total amount now includes 113.8 kg enriched to 20 percent, up from 84.3 kg in September, and 17.7 kg enriched up to 60 percent, up from 10 kg, the report said.
– ‘Absolutely serious’ –
Grossi’s last visit to Tehran was in September, when he clinched a deal on access to monitoring equipment at Iran’s nuclear facilities.
But days later, the IAEA complained that it was prevented from “indispensible” access to a unit at the TESA complex in the city of Karaj, near Tehran, in violation of the September deal.
Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA however rejected the charge, tweeting that “equipment related to this complex are not included for servicing”, referring to IAEA work on its monitoring equipment.
The IAEA on Wednesday also “categorically” denied its cameras had played a part in an unclaimed June attack on the TESA complex.
Tehran — which has blamed its arch enemy Israel — had told the agency it was investigating the possibility, the IAEA said in a report.
Grossi’s visit next week comes ahead of the resumption on November 29 of nuclear talks in Vienna, stalled since June.
The talks aim to restore a 2015 deal that offered Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange for major curbs on its nuclear activities.
The US unilaterally pulled out of the agreement in 2018 under the administration of president Donald Trump.
In response, Iran began in 2019 walking back on its commitments under the nuclear deal, notably increasing its uranium enrichment.
Raisi said Tuesday that Iran is “absolutely serious” about the nuclear talks, in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Raisi added that Iran is “equally serious about our people’s rights to have sanctions lifted”.
His foreign minister had earlier called on the West not to make “excessive demands” on Tehran in the talks, in a call with his Russian counterpart.
