Grossi hopes to meet with Iranian officials

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Gross said during a press conference at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna at the opening of the IAEA Board of Governors quarterly meeting on Monday that he was seriously concerned that safeguards issues remain unresolved.

"Following my last report, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U‑235 has increased to 275 kg, up from 182 kg in the past quarter," he said.

"It has been four years since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including provisionally applying its Additional Protocol and therefore it is also four years since the Agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran," he said

"You also have before you my report on the NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran says it has declared all nuclear material, activities and locations required under its NPT Safeguards Agreement. However, this statement is inconsistent with the Agency’s findings of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at undeclared locations in Iran. The Agency needs to know the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment involved," the Agency's chief added.

"There is also a discrepancy in the material balance of uranium involved in uranium metal production experiments conducted at Jaber Ibn Hayan Mutlipurpose Laboratory, for which Iran has not accounted," according to Grossi.

"Having stated it had suspended such implementation, Iran still is not implementing modified Code 3.1, which is a legal obligation for Iran," he added.

"High-level engagement is indispensable to making real progress. My visit to Tehran last November, and meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicate that there may be room for constructive compromises. I hope to see them again soon and pursue effective dialogue and tangible results," Grossi said.

"Regarding the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, you have before you my latest report on verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015)," the IAEA chief said. 

MNA