IAEA vows to fulfill obligations responsibly despite pressure

Speaking In a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said he will not allow any interferences in the agency’s affairs during his tenure. The press conference was held after Grossi’s meeting with Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi.

He dismissed any political affiliation, saying that the IAEA's oversights are based on technical issues.

There are a number of things that need to be done. Sometimes things happen that need to be clarified, he noted.

Noting that the IAEA holds separate relationships with each country and no third country can affect the nuclear watchdog’s relations with others, he said, Iran and IAEA hold important ties. I guarantee that there is no influence in the agency, but there is pressure.

He said the IAEA will exert every effort to evade pressures as much as possible.

Grossi stressed as long as he is working as the Director-General of the IAEA, he will never allow anyone to misuse the agency to achieve their own goals.

He hailed "the constructive cooperation” between Iran and the IAEA, adding, “There are some questions that need more transparency, and that is why I came here today.”

In response to a question about the IAEA's oversight of Saudi Arabia's nuclear activities, the IAEA director-general said that there have been some movements in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's activities are also to be monitored by the IAEA, he added.

During the same press conference, Iran’s Salehi termed the talks with Grossi ‘constructive’, saying that a new chapter will start in Iran-IAEA cooperation.

“Our conversation today was constructive.

"Speaking In a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said he will not allow any interferences in the agency’s affairs during his tenure"It was agreed that the agency will carry out its independent and professional responsibilities, and we will fulfill our commitments.”

“A new chapter of cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency will start.”

Grossi arrived in Tehran on Monday evening on his first visit to the country since taking office in December to hold talks with senior Iranian officials. He was welcomed by the AEOI spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi, upon his arrival.

The visit takes place over two months after the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution on June 19, put forward by Britain, France and Germany – the three European signatories to the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The resolution, the first of its kind since 2012, urges Iran to provide the IAEA inspectors with access to two sites that the trio claims may have been used for undeclared nuclear activities in the early 2000s.

The Islamic Republic rejected any allegations of non-cooperation with the IAEA, insisting that it is prepared to resolve differences with the nuclear agency.

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