Iran has not relented from its demand that an inquiry be conducted into the nuclear particles discovered at its nuclear sites.
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has said an investigation by the global nuclear watchdog into “safeguards issues”, relating to nuclear particles found at Iranian nuclear sites, needs to end if an agreement on restoring the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers is to be clinched.
“Without resolving safeguards issues, talking about an agreement would be meaningless,” Raisi asserted at a news conference in Tehran on Monday, marking a year as president.
Asked if he would meet United States President Joe Biden during his upcoming trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Raisi reiterated his “no” answer from his first news conference with foreign media shortly after being elected as president last year.
Such a meeting would “have no benefit for the people and interests of Iran”, he said.
Traces of nuclear particles were found years ago at several Iranian nuclear sites, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has repeatedly demanded “full cooperation” from Tehran as the only way to close the investigation.
The US and other world powers met in Vienna this month to discuss restoring the nuclear agreement, which Washington unilaterally ended in 2018. There have been rumors that Iran may have abandoned its demand that the investigation be closed.
Recent comments from Raisi and other Iranian officials indicate that Tehran has not abandoned the demand but may be open for negotiations in the agreement’s text.
Nournews, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on Monday reported that the Iranian demand to “verify” the effective lifting of sanctions by the US also extends to the safeguards issue.
“Naturally, the [verification] process about all the commitments of the other sides, including shutting down the safeguards cases claimed by the agency, must be predicted in a potential agreement,” it wrote.
According to Reuters news agency, an unnamed US official stated that Iran had stressed its willingness to implement its part of a potential agreement if it is not resolved.
Known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal introduced curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions.
Talks to restore the accord began in Vienna in April 2021, and have gained more momentum in the past month after a “final” text was produced by the European Union, around which Tehran and Washington are indirectly negotiating.
Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region
During his news conference, Iran’s president addressed recent efforts to connect with rival Saudi Arabia.
“The Arabian side has some commitments, and implementing these commitments would open the way for more efforts,” Raisi said without elaborating.
“Certainly, diplomatic relations are tied to the implementation of these commitments, which are being pursued.”
Since April 2021, Tehran and Riyadh held five rounds at the security officials level. There has been hope that the next round could be openly held at the foreign minister level.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that a sixth round was stalled by ongoing political turmoil in Iraq.
Fuad Hussein, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, arrived in Tehran on Monday morning and met with Hossein Amirabdollahian, his Iranian counterpart. These talks were expected to address the situation in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Iran and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations in 2016 after a Shia religious leader had been executed by the Sunni kingdom. This led to a storming Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.
Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also cut their ties to Iran out of solidarity. However, both countries restored their ambassadors in Tehran earlier in the month as a sign of improved relations.
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