The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it did not succeed in resolving key issues in the Iranian nuclear dossier during the talks in Tehran on Tuesday. In a statement at a virtual meeting of IAEA's governors council on Wednesday, the agency's Director General Rafael Grossi noted that he had met with senior Iranian officials including Vice President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. He added that IAEA had monitored Iran's commitment to its nuclear pledges until Feb. 23 of this year. However, since that date, Iran decided to quit committing to its pledges, Grossi said. Grossi also expressed concern over the unnecessary and extreme physical inspections of the agency's inspectors in Iran, calling on the country to take immediate action on the matter and ensure the implementation of internationally-approved safety measures in its nuclear facilities. Grossi told the agency's Board of Governors that no deal was reached with Iran to resolve the numerous nuclear issues in dispute during his visit this week. "Despite my best efforts, these extensive negotiations and deliberations to address Iran's outstanding safeguards issues, detailed in the two reports, proved inconclusive," said Grossi. His report leaves more open questions as nuclear negotiations between Iran and the world powers are set to restart on Monday of next week after a more than six-month pause. Listing off the issues in dispute, the IAEA chief noted, "In the absence of regular Agency access to its surveillance and monitoring equipment at all facilities and locations in Iran in relation to the JCPOA, the Agency considers the temporary agreement I reached with Iran in February 2021 facilitated the maintenance of continuity of knowledge." "However, the repeated prolongation of the agreement, which has now been in place for around nine months, is becoming a significant challenge to the Agency's ability to restore this continuity of knowledge," he said. This last statement by Grossi directly connected the possibility of a US return to the JCPOA to Iranian cooperation with the IAEA's requirements. Next, he said, "The presence of multiple uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at three locations in Iran not declared to the Agency, as well as the presence of isotopically altered particles at one of these locations, is a clear indication that nuclear material and/or equipment contaminated by nuclear material has been present at these locations." - Agencies
