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Iran says hopes for 'constructive' visit by IAEA chief
Rafael Grossi to meet Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and head of Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi (left) in a meeting with Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), upon his arrival in the capital Tehran. – AFP
Iran said it hoped a visit by the head of the UN's atomic watchdog that started Monday would be "constructive", a week ahead of the resumption of talks seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was greeted on arrival by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, state news agency IRNA reported.
He is expected to meet on Tuesday with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and AEOI head Mohammad Eslami, who is also one of Iran's vice presidents.
"We hope that Rafael Grossi's visit will be as constructive as the previous ones," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
"We have always advised the IAEA to stay on the path of technical cooperation, and to not let certain countries pursue their political orientations on behalf of the IAEA."
On Friday, the IAEA said Tehran had again increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, many times in excess of the limit laid down in the 2015 agreement.
Grossi's visit comes as Iran readies for talks with world powers in Vienna on November 29 with the aim of saving Tehran's 2015 deal with world powers, that promised it sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
On November 12, Grossi had described as "astonishing" his lack of contact with the new Iranian government of President Ebrahim Raisi.
Days later, Tehran responded by announcing that it had invited the watchdog chief to visit.
"We will leave for Vienna with a full team and a serious will to lift the sanctions," Khatibzadeh said Monday.
"The other parties should also try to come to Vienna to reach a practical and comprehensive agreement."
Grossi was last in Tehran on September 12, where he clinched a deal on access to monitoring equipment at Iran's nuclear facilities.
On Saturday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Washington was capable of deploying "overwhelming force", and that all options would be open if diplomacy fails to halt Iran's nuclear programme.
Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
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