Much remains unknown regarding Washington’s progress in nuclear talks with Iran, but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), head of the UN Nuclear Watchdog Agency, said the international community must “relief” that Tehran is engaged in goodwill negotiations.
The US and Iran are scheduled to hold third round discussions on Saturday.
IAEA Director Rafael Grossi praised the US-Iran negotiations by Oman, but said that top nuclear agencies have not yet been asked to support the negotiations, but he is in contact with Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkov.
The US confirms third round of nuclear talks with Iran after “very good progress”
At the Governor’s Conference to be held in Vienna on September 9, 2024, Director Rafael Grossi, Director of the International Atomic Energy, watches address the media as if he were to speak. (Reuters/Leonhard Foger/File Photo)
“I think there’s a general expectation that this will work and that the agreement will be verified by the IAEA,” Grossi told reporters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. “It’s good that the US and Iran are having a direct conversation, and of course there is a parallel process.
“We have to look at the ball. We have to avoid Iran and make sure Iran doesn’t get any weapons. That’s the purpose.”
Grossi said there is a “level of expectation” that not only comes from the top nuclear agencies, but also from the world leaders he has communicated with, that after a political agreement has been hashed between Washington and Tehran, it will become an “reliable” and “verified” IAEA.
“They all hope that the IAEA will step in at the right time,” he said. “We provide their services to make this a reliable thing. In a way, they may have political agreements, but they have to make it verifiable.”
As the talk continues, Iran’s long path to deception promotes skepticism about the new nuclear deal
An Iranian newspaper featuring cover photos of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut and the US Middle Eastern envoy will be seen in Tehran, Iran on April 12th. (via Majid Asgaripour/Wana (West Asia News Agency))
Fox News Digital has obtained a copy of the address of Abbas Araguchi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who traveled to China on Wednesday to discuss progress on nuclear negotiations.
However, in his speech, he said that he was supposed to position Iran as a supporter of nuclear non-proliferation, and that Iran’s position was “mischievously characterized.”
Since the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran claimed to have muted the deal, Iran has advanced its programme significantly by stockpiling it at a level close to where it can generate five nuclear warheads and its centrality and false capabilities, if further enriched.
When asked by Fox News Digital if Grossi had honestly appreciated the Islamic Republic’s position, he said, “I trust you, but I need to confirm.”
“We are inspectors, and that’s the only way we can build trust,” he added.
Grossi said the JCPOA framework (widely criticized by Trump) is so outdated due to the progress made by Iran that the administration needs to identify what the ultimate goal of this latest deal is.
This photo was released on November 5th, 2019 by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. (Iranian atomic energy organization, file via AP)
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Issues like uranium stockpiling, inventory, centrifugal advances, and weaponization capabilities are all on the US-Iran negotiation table.
“There’s a much more complex field ahead of us,” Grossi warned. “The good thing is knowing what we need to see. We have a unique perspective on that.”
