The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, announced that he will visit Tehran soon, to discuss many pressing issues, while Iran announced that it is holding internal consultations on how to continue the nuclear negotiations.
During a press conference on the sidelines of the regular meeting of the Agency's Board of Governors to discuss the nuclear facilities control agreement, Grossi said that he had not received any promises from Iran regarding its nuclear activities, noting that the new Iranian government has hard-line views on the nuclear program.
"I did not get any promises from Iran, and I did not seek that, but what I told them and I am saying now is that I need to have a frank and clear dialogue with the new government," he added.
He said that, as Secretary-General of the International Agency, he should sit with the new Iranian government and convey his viewpoint and expectations from it, and he must also listen to it.
He explained that the only thing he got from Tehran was the agreement on maintaining the Agency's cameras in nuclear facilities.
The representative of the European Union in the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file, Enrique Mora, welcomed the agreement reached by the International Atomic Energy Agency with Iran regarding the maintenance of the Agency's cameras in Iranian nuclear facilities.
Mora considered that this agreement represents a positive step that allows space for diplomacy, stressing that the European Union's goal is the full return of the nuclear agreement and the implementation of its provisions as soon as possible.
For his part, Russia's representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, called for the speedy resumption of negotiations, and also expressed his appreciation for Tehran and the agency's readiness to maintain a constructive dialogue that would allow the settlement of outstanding issues.
Al-Jazeera correspondent from the headquarters of the Atomic Energy Agency, Muhammad al-Baqali, said that Grossi returned with an agreement that guarantees the continuation of monitoring Iran's nuclear activities through cameras, renewal of tapes and maintenance of equipment, which enabled the agency's meeting today to take place in a normal atmosphere.
For his part, Al-Jazeera correspondent in Tehran, Noureddine Al-Daghir, said that what happened represents a pivotal agreement that would reduce tension between Iran and the agency, and it appears that it is important for both parties, and may constitute a strong impetus for entering the expected seventh round of negotiations.
Tehran's relationship with the IAEA
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Tehran's relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency is technical, and that the visit of its Director Rafael Grossi to Tehran was positive, and the negotiations were positive and good.
Khatibzadeh added that Tehran agreed with Grossi that the relationship between the two sides would remain in a technical framework away from politicization, noting that the understanding with the agency does not conflict with the parliament's law and does not go beyond the framework of the comprehensive guarantees agreement.
He stressed that his country has had good technical relations and understandings with the agency over the past years, and some parties cannot be allowed to affect this relationship.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh added that his country's decision to participate in the Vienna negotiations did not change with the change of government.
He said that all parties should have a realistic vision when they come to Vienna, and that Tehran will not accept any new commitments outside the framework of the nuclear agreement.
In the same context, the Iranian Foreign Minister said in a call with his British counterpart that his country welcomes any negotiations that lead to results and achieve the interests of the Iranian people, noting that there are internal consultations in Iran on how to continue the nuclear negotiations.