The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Friday that the agency needs to get its relationship back on track with Tehran, while Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and EU foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell discussed the latest developments in the Vienna negotiations to lift the embargo on Iran.

Grossi said Iran appeared to disagree with the UN agency over information Tehran should provide about its nuclear programme.

He added at the Rome conference, "It does not seem that we agree with Iran regarding its obligations towards the International Atomic Energy Agency," and said he was concerned about Tehran's recent announcement to increase its enrichment capacity.

"We need to put our relationship back on track," he said, but stressed that he "still hopes" that Tehran will provide an explanation for the traces of uranium that were found in 3 undeclared sites a few years ago.

A recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran agreed to a visit by the agency last November to begin providing long-awaited answers.

But the meeting has not yet taken place.

Western powers say the unexplained issue of uranium particles has become an obstacle in broader talks to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, with Tehran now seeking to shut down the IAEA investigation as part of those negotiations.

Grossi said the talks appeared to have stalled.

"At the moment it does not seem that the necessary impetus to revive the agreement is there," he said, adding that he was concerned by Iran's announcement last month that it had begun enriching uranium to a purity of 60% at the Fordow nuclear plant.

And he added, "Iran informed us that it is raising three times, not twice, its capacity to enrich uranium at 60%, which is very close to the level of purity required for military use, which is 90%."

"It's not a small thing. This is something that has consequences. It gives them a stockpile of nuclear material that they can't turn a blind eye to. There might be another use. We need to go. We need to check," he said.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear technology is for civilian purposes only.

Hussein Amir Abdollahian discussed with Borrell the developments of the Vienna negotiations to lift the embargo on Iran (Anadolu Agency)

Ellahian and Burrell

In another context, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and European Union foreign and security policy official Josep Borrell discussed the latest developments in the Vienna negotiations to lift the embargo on Iran, and cooperation between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

During the phone call with Borrell, Abdollahian criticized what he described as the recent impolite and non-diplomatic statements of some European ministers, and said, "Today in Europe, some extremist politicians hide themselves behind the European Union."

The foreign minister added that "some of the strategic objectives of the European Union have become a victim of the ambitions of extremist and even terrorist groups that provide false information to these politicians."

For his part, Borrell stressed that he will continue his efforts to return all parties to the obligations agreed upon in Vienna, and will continue efforts and contacts to reach a final agreement, as he put it.