IAEA chief talks with Iran’s nuke chief, FM over settlement of nuke issues

Tehran, Iran | THE INDEPENDENT |   The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday held talks with the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and Iranian foreign minister over the settlement of issues on Iran’s nuclear program, as Tehran has decided to stop the IAEA’s Additional Protocol on Feb. 23 if U.S. sanctions are not lifted, Press TV reported.

The talks between Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, and Ali-Akbar Salehi, head of the AEOI, revolved around the simultaneous implementation of the IAEA’s Safeguards Agreement and Iran’s Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions.

“Iran and the IAEA held fruitful discussions based on mutual respect, the result of which will be released this evening,” Iran’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi tweeted after the meeting.

During the meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Grossi, they exchanged views about Iran-IAEA cooperation in line with the Safeguards Agreement.

The Iranian parliament approved in December 2020 the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions that mandates the Iranian government to relaunch 20-percent uranium enrichment, and stop implementing the IAEA’s Additional Protocol if sanctions that should be lifted under the 2015 international nuclear agreement continues to be in place.

In response to the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018 and re-imposition of sanctions, Iran has suspended parts of its commitments under the deal.

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XINHUA