Rafael Grossi, the director general of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been invited to participate in Saturday’s second round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who held discussions with Mr Grossi in Tehran on Thursday, said: “The agency must play a very important part in continuing the process.”
In advance of his arrival, Mr Grossi warned that Iran could be close to having the capacity to manufacture nuclear weapons. “It’s like a jigsaw puzzle,” Mr Grossi told the French daily Le Monde. “They have the pieces, and one day they can put them together. There is a way to go to achieve this, but they are not far from it. We have to accept that. In the last four years, we have seen a remarkable acceleration.”
Mr Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff aim to reach a new nuclear accord to replace the 2015 deal from which US president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018.
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In exchange for lifting sanctions, that deal limited Iranian uranium enrichment to 3.67 per cent purity and its stockpile to 300kg. After the US withdrew from the agreement and sanctions were reimposed, the IAEA reported that Iran was enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent purity, close to the 90 per cent grade required for weapons. The agency also reported that Iran had increased its overall stockpile to 8,294kg.
Last month, Mr Trump sent a letter via Oman to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for direct talks. On March 30th, Mr Trump threatened to bomb Iran if no agreement was reached.
Mr Araghchi and Mr Witkoff met briefly after the first round of indirect talks on April 12th, which were deemed “constructive” by both.
The second round could prove contentious. Iran insists on maintaining its nuclear programme and argues it has no intention of manufacturing weapons. After accepting that Iran could continue “enrichment at 3.67 per cent for civil purposes,” Mr Witkoff posted on social media this week that “Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponisation programme.” He said Iran must also open its ballistic missile arsenal for inspection, a demand Iran has rejected.
[ Israel watches with concern as US and Iran prepare to resume nuclear talksOpens in new window ]
Mr Araghchi said Iran was ready to address US concerns about its nuclear programme but would not discuss its right to enrich uranium for civil purposes. This right was granted in 1968 when Tehran signed the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons treaty.
Wendy Sherman, chief US negotiator with Iran during Barack Obama’s presidency, told ABC News that Iran would not accept eradication of its nuclear programme and that the talks would “have a very complicated technical aspect”.
She said Mr Araghchi “speaks English fluently and knows all the technical details”, so Mr Witkoff was facing a “tough” negotiator.
