IAEA chief observes Iran's willingness to reengage on nuclear file

U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday he sensed a greater willingness among Iranian officials to engage with the agency in a more meaningful way after talks in New York and that he hoped to travel to Tehran in October.

Several long-standing issues have strained relations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, including Tehran's barring of uranium-enrichment experts from the inspection team and its failure for years to explain traces of uranium found at undeclared sites.

Grossi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, one of the key architects of the 2015 accord that limited Iran's ability to enrich uranium in return for the lifting of Western sanctions, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

"What I see is an expressed willingness to re-engage with us in a more meaningful fashion," Grossi told Reuters in an interview.

With nuclear diplomacy largely stalled between the Iranian presidential election and the U.S. election on Nov. 5, Iranian and European officials have met in New York to assess their mutual willingness to reduce tensions amid Tehran's disputed nuclear program, its role in Ukraine, and mounting regional tensions.

Grossi said he wanted to make real progress in restoring proper technical discussions with Iran quickly and aimed to travel to Tehran in October to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

"Of course, now we have to give content and substance to this because we are not starting from zero. We have had a relatively protracted process without replies to some of the questions we have," he said.

"We also need to calibrate together with them how we go through this period where they are waiting to see what is going to happen with their other partners, starting with the United States."

IAEA board resolutions ordering Iran to cooperate urgently with the investigation into the uranium traces and calling on it to reverse its barring of inspectors have brought little change, and quarterly IAEA reports seen by Reuters on Aug. 29 showed no progress.

Development of Iran's nuclear program has also advanced. By the end of the quarter, the latest IAEA reports showed Iran had completed the installation of eight new cascades at Fordow but had not yet brought them online.

At its larger underground site at Natanz, which is enriching uranium to up to 5% purity, Iran had brought 15 new cascades of other advanced models online.

"Iran has kept a regular pace without accelerating too much, but it continues," Grossi said, adding that the Fordow cascades remain offline.

Reuters