Rafael Grossi aims to continue talks on nuclear safeguards
International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi is planning to visit Iran next week to continue nuclear power safeguards talks with the country, according to AP reports on 1 May.
During his visit, Grossi will take part in Iran’s first International Nuclear Energy Conference, which will be held in Isfahan from May 6-8.
According to AP, Iranian state television has described the conference in Isfahan as an “international conference on nuclear sciences and techniques”. Mohammed Eslami, the head of Iran’s civilian nuclear programme, was quoted as saying on Wednesday that Grossi will attend the conference and meet with him and other officials.
The IAEA has not announced Grossi’s meetings schedules, according to AP.
The trip will follow Grossi’s initial announcement of a potential mission to the country during the UN Security Council in New York on 17 April.
“I hope to put the situation in a higher level of cooperation, as we are getting access, but it could be much better.”
Grossi went to Iran a year ago and signed a declaration of cooperation with the Iranian government, in addition to safeguards work the IAEA is normally doing.
“So, we started the process in March 2023, but it was interrupted. If I return soon, we will discuss how to go to this level of cooperation,” Grossi said.
“The agency does not have information if there is a nuclear weapon programme in Iran, but we are telling them that they are close to a weapon-level of uranium enrichment, so we are asking to cooperate.”
The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre and the Natanz uranium enrichment plant in Iran are the target of US and UN sanctions.
In July 2022, Iran announced plans to build a new nuclear research reactor at the Isfahan site.
Iran also has one commercial nuclear plant in operation and a second under construction at Bushehr, more than 600 km south of Isfahan.
Tehran has also said it is planning to pour first concrete for a third unit at Bushehr.
In February, the official IRNA news agency reported that Iran had started construction of a four-unit nuclear power station with a capacity of about 5,000 MW in its southern coastal province of Hormozgan.
