IAEA Director General's Visit to Tehran Yields Constructive Outcomes: Russian Official

In his interview with the Russian news agency, Mikhail Ulyanov, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna, discussed the opening of the March session of the IAEA Board of Governors. He stated that the session included discussions on reviews prepared by the Secretariat on nuclear safety and security, with politically charged topics such as the Iranian nuclear program, the trilateral partnership of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and Ukraine set to be discussed later in the session.

Regarding Iran, Ulyanov mentioned Grossi's recent visit to Tehran, which he described as constructive. Ulyanov noted that Iran, Russia, and China are ready to finalize an almost completely agreed decision to return to the original parameters of the nuclear deal, but the "E3" (France, Germany, and the UK) and the US are not yet ready.

However, these measures have yet to be finalized. During his visit, Grossi met with the President of Iran, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization. Iran has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Secretariat of the Agency.

Regarding the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, a number of important documents are expected to be taken into account after discussion. However, no specific agreements or decisions were made. Last year's resolutions of the Board of Governors on Iran had extremely negative consequences, leading to a significant reduction in the Agency's ability to carry out inspections and surveillance on Iranian territory. The hope is that Western countries have learned from this and will refrain from such counterproductive actions at the current session.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, was established in 2015 with the participation of Iran, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany. The deal obliged Iran to limit its nuclear activities and place them under the supervision of the IAEA in exchange for the lifting of previously imposed sanctions.

The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018, putting its future into question. 

During a visit to Iran on March 4, Grossi expressed satisfaction with the joint measures developed between Iran and the IAEA, which aim to establish cooperation. Grossi held two rounds of talks with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

China and Russia welcome the efforts made by Iran and the IAEA and hopes that the agreements will effectively promote dialogue and consultation toward the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.