in Geneva with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, the foreign minister of Abbas Araghchi will have today, the eve of the second round of talks that are scheduled to be held between and Iran for Tehran also in Geneva.
Iran and the US resumed negotiations earlier this month to settle their decades-old dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program and prevent a new military standoff as US warships, including a second aircraft carrier, are deployed to the region.
What did Aragchi write in X?
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to get a fair and equal deal. What’s not on the table: submission in the face of threats,” Aragchi noted in a post on X.
As Washington seeks to broaden talks on non-nuclear issues such as Iran’s missile stockpile, Tehran says it intends to discuss only curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions and says it will not accept zero uranium enrichment.
Before the US joined Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities in June, previous talks between it and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program had stalled over Washington’s demand that Tehran abandon uranium enrichment on its soil, which the US sees as a path to an Iranian nuclear weapon.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only and that it is ready to dispel concerns about nuclear weapons by “building confidence that enrichment is and will remain for peaceful purposes.”
Aragchi noted that he will meet with the head of the IAEA today accompanied by nuclear experts “for in-depth technical discussions”.
The main issue is the 440 kg of enriched uranium
The IAEA has been asking Iran for months to declare what happened to its 440kg stockpile of highly enriched uranium after the Israeli-US strikes and to allow full resumption of inspections, including at three major facilities bombed in June: Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
While Iran allowed the IAEA to inspect its declared nuclear facilities that were not targeted in June, it notes that the IAEA needs to clarify its stance on US and Israeli strikes, adding that the bombed facilities are not safe for inspections.
The IAEA and Iran announced a deal in September in Cairo that was to pave the way for full inspections and verification, but Tehran scrapped the deal after Western powers reimposed UN sanctions on Iran.
