IAEA chief calls on Iran, US to begin talks to defuse nuclear tensions
The United Nations nuclear watchdog called on the US and Iran to begin talks, suggesting that US President Donald Trump holds the next move in trying to defuse tensions with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear activities.
“High-level engagement is indispensable to making real progress. My visit to Tehran last November, and meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicate that there may be room for constructive compromises. I hope to see them again soon and pursue effective dialogue and tangible results”, Grossi said.
At a press conference in Vienna on Monday after the IAEA Board of Governors meeting Grossi stressed the need for Iran to provide answers. “What we need is real answers (from Iran). What we need is an engagement that is moving forward. We need to stop talking about process and start getting some answers as soon as possible,” he said when asked what the agency expects from Iran.
Addressing broader diplomatic efforts, Grossi said, “An important statement by President Trump was when he said that he wants to have some form of a deal, some form of an agreement (with Iran),” Grossi said. “We need to engage as soon as possible, because time is passing.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency is holding high level talks with the White House and would like to see a “more systemic” approach to Iran.
While Trump said last month he’s open to a new Iran agreement, he’s also pledged to reinvigorate sanctions aimed at choking off the country’s oil exports. Tehran’s government has rejected talks as long as the US maintains its maximum-pressure campaign against the Iranian economy.
On Monday, Grossi claimed that Iran has boosted its stockpile of near-weapons grade uranium by more than half over a span of three months.
Tehran’s growing stocks of 60 percent-enriched uranium make it “the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching to this level,” Grossi told the IAEA’s Board of Governors.
The IAEA chief claimed that the stockpile had grown from 182kg to 275kg in the previous quarter. He expressed “serious concern” at Iran’s activities.