The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has arrived in Tehran ahead of Iran’s plan to partly suspend inspections by the agency at the country’s nuclear facilities.
Rafael Grossi arrived on Saturday and will meet Iranian nuclear officials including Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the country’s nuclear department and a vice-president to President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran’s parliament in December approved a bill that would suspend part of UN inspections of its nuclear facilities under a 2015 nuclear deal, if European signatories do not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions by February 23.
It will also stop implementation of the additional protocol that allows the IAEA inspectors to carry out more intrusive inspections to Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Following the 2015 deal, Iran voluntarily agreed to implement the additional protocol.
Salehi said he and Grossi will meet on Sunday to discuss the agency’s “concerns” over the halt of the inspections as well as Iran’s cooperation with the agency.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that the visit has aimed at finding “a mutually agreeable solution for the IAEA to continue essential verification activities in the country”.
Read the article in The Canberra Times (AAP).