keeping interaction with Tehran important, Grossi says

Speaking in an interview with CBC, IAEA chief Grossi claimed that chances of Iran returning to the JCPOA are slim.

But it’s important to keep interacting with Tehran, he added.

“Probably there could be a return to the negotiating table, but if the interactions between Iran and the agency are seen or assessed as bad and the cooperation is not good, the chances are zero,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Minister said the course of the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within technical frameworks will soon witness great progress.

Tehran is exchanging messages with Washington through various channels during talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed.

The top Iranian diplomat stated that “a good development has taken place in the course of cooperation” between the Islamic Republic and the UN nuclear agency, noting that Iran had always been critical of IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s politically-charged approach towards the country and that he has even brought up the issue in a face-to-face meeting with him.

Amir-Abdollahian went on to underscore that Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has declared so transparently that Iran is serious about cooperation with the IAEA and expects the UN nuclear agency to fulfill its duties within the technical frameworks and stay away from political issues.

MNA/PR