Iran’s nuclear chief dismissed the suggestion that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would visit Iran next month but invited him to a conference in Tehran in May. Mohammad Eslami said that Grossi’s visit next month was unlikely, citing a “busy schedule.” He also stated that Grossi had been invited to attend Iran’s first international nuclear energy conference in May.
Grossi said that Iran was continuing to enrich uranium well beyond the needs for commercial nuclear use and planned to visit Tehran next month to address the strained relations between the IAEA and Iran. He mentioned that Iran was still enriching uranium at an elevated rate of around 7 kg per month to 60% purity, which is close to weapons grade. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but concerns remain.
Under a defunct 2015 agreement, Iran can only enrich uranium to 3.67%. However, after the US pulled out of the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran breached and moved beyond these restrictions. The UN nuclear watchdog has noted that the 2015 nuclear deal “is all but disintegrated.”
