Iranian nuclear program.. Grossi calls on Tehran to cooperate, and Abdullahian: We presented serious initiatives in the Vienna talks

The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that it is difficult to reach an agreement with Tehran without the agency obtaining sufficient information about its nuclear program.

Grossi added - in statements to CNN - that the only way for Iran to gain the confidence of the international community and push its economy forward is to allow the agency's inspectors to visit its nuclear facilities.

He described Iran's removal of 27 cameras and monitoring systems from its nuclear facilities as extremely worrying.

Last week, Grossi warned that Iran would be "only a few weeks away" from obtaining enough material for a nuclear weapon if it continued at its current pace of enriching uranium, but Iran has consistently denied seeking to do so.

Iranian response

On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Minister said that Tehran had presented initiatives - which he described as practical and serious - in line with the logical behavior of the parties to the nuclear negotiations.

Abdullahian added - in a press conference after his briefing before the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament regarding the nuclear file - that the government seeks to preserve the rights of the Iranian people in negotiations, taking into account the red lines.

In a related context, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stressed in a phone call with the Iranian Foreign Minister the importance of continuing the Vienna talks.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry added that Guterres stressed that diplomacy is the best way to resolve differences between Iran and other parties in the UN Security Council.

She explained that the Iranian Foreign Minister told Guterres that the Western move to submit a resolution against Iran to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency is a hasty behavior.

Last Wednesday, the agency issued a resolution criticizing Iran's lack of "cooperation" regarding the agency's discovery of traces of enriched uranium at 3 undeclared nuclear sites.

For his part, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that the decision of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors against Iran is a "hostile and unconstructive" measure.

He added that Parliament strongly supports the technical and legal decisions taken by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran in response to what he described as the unjust decision.

Qalibaf considered that thwarting the impact of sanctions and developing the economy in the country is the only way to confront what he called "the enemies of Iran and their schemes."

At the same time, he affirmed his country's welcome to Russia and China's rejection of the International Atomic Energy Agency's decision.

Iranian restrictions

The International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier condemned Iran's decision to "close 27 cameras" to monitor its nuclear activities, warning of a "fatal blow" to the Vienna talks on this thorny file if the disruption continued.

Last Thursday, the agency warned Iran of a severe blow to the Iranian nuclear deal, if Tehran did not return the monitoring equipment that the agency installed under the agreement to monitor Iran's nuclear activities.

The head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Salami, said that his country will announce other measures in response to the behavior of the International Atomic Energy Agency, adding that his country has accepted strict control over its nuclear program with the aim of stopping the accusations against it.

The Iranian official reminded the Western powers that "the Israeli entity does not abide by any of the international decisions, and does not allow inspection of its nuclear facilities," and considered that "the behavior of the International Atomic Energy Agency with Iran is illegal and political."

It is noteworthy that the talks aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement began in April 2021, and made great progress before the stalemate extended to it last March, with points of disagreement remaining between the two main parties: Tehran and Washington.

The agreement concluded between Tehran and the major world powers provides for the abolition of international sanctions imposed on Iran, in return for imposing severe restrictions on its nuclear program, and the International Atomic Energy Agency plays a key role in monitoring Tehran's compliance with these restrictions.