Iran and IAEA restart talks amid nuclear deal deadlock

• Roshan Amiri
• . September 28, 2022
• . Update: September 28, 2022 3:20 pm
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The Islamic Republic of Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an intergovernmental organisation, have restarted talks over a probe into nuclear material found at undeclared nuclear sites in Iran.

IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, held a meeting with the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, on September 26. Grossi announced on Twitter that IAEA has resumed talks with Iran regarding clarification of safeguard issues at three undeclared locations in Iran. Grossi wrote on Twitter, “Dialogue has restarted with Iran on clarification of outstanding safeguards issues.” He further wrote, “I received Mohammad Eslami, Vice-President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, during IAEA’s 66th session of IAEA General Conference.” However, neither side divulged details of the talks.

During the 66th regular session of the IAEA general conference, Grossi said that the United Nations nuclear watchdog IAEA has made significant efforts to hold dialogue with Iran to address issues regarding three undeclared locations in the country. He also expressed IAEA’s willingness to talk with Iran without delay to address the issues.

The meeting between the IAEA chief and Iran comes amid a dispute over the “presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at three undeclared locations” in the Islamic nation.

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Iran has repeatedly demanded the closure of the IAEA’s investigation of its nuclear activities among other guarantees to revive the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Earlier this month, the President of Iran, Sayyid Ebrahim Raisolsadati, said that reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers will not make any sense unless the UN nuclear watchdog put an end to its investigation of the three undeclared sites in the country.

The United States said that Iran needs to cooperate with the IAEA to clear up suspicions about three undeclared sites.