Atomic Energy Agency Director to Visit Iran on Saturday

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief executive will visit Iran on Saturday. That visit is part of efforts to save the nuclear deal with Iran, a spokesman for the UN organization announced on Thursday. Rafael Grossi will meet with Iranian officials in Tehran.

A press conference will follow on his return to Vienna on Saturday evening.

Grossi said on Wednesday that the IAEA would “never give up” on trying to clarify Iran about the presence of nuclear materials in undeclared sites. For Tehran, the conclusion of the IAEA investigation is a precondition for agreeing to breathe new life into the 2015 nuclear deal.

In 2015, Iran concluded this so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Russia and Germany. Under Donald Trump, however, Washington withdrew from the agreement, which was followed by further sanctions. Iran then gradually withdrew from its obligations under the deal and resumed its nuclear activities.

Negotiations have been going on in Vienna for weeks to bring the JCPOA back into operation, and the coming days are seen as decisive. After a months-long hiatus, talks resumed in November, but without Washington participating indirectly. One of the difficult points is that Tehran continues to be tight-lipped about four unofficial sites.