Rafael Mariano Grossi, speaking to reporters in Washington after meeting with Iranian officials in Tehran last week, joined the American and Iranian sides in projecting optimism after a second round of negotiations Saturday over Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian leaders were engaged “with a sense of trying to get to an agreement,” Grossi said.
“That is my impression,” he added.
Grossi claimed Iranian officials during his visit there last week agreed to allow an IAEA technical team to come to the country to discuss resuming access to and monitoring of nuclear sites, among other issues.
While that move was not directly linked to the US talks, Grossi called it an encouraging sign of Iran’s willingness to reach terms in a potential deal. The IAEA is not playing a direct role in the talks, and Donald Trump’s administration has not asked it to, Grossi told reporters.
That Iran and the US sought to resolve the issue peacefully was more important than whether UN nuclear monitors take part, he said. But when it comes to ensuring Iranian compliance with any deal, he added, “This will have to be verified by the IAEA.”
“I cannot imagine how you could put … a corps of invented international or national inspectors to inspect Iran” without having the agency’s decades of expertise, he continued.
“I think it would be problematic and strange.”
