The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has called for the agency to take part in the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States. Speaking on Thursday, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the organisation could serve as a crucial intermediary in the talks and ensure verification of any agreement reached.
Grossi arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and held meetings with both Iran’s foreign minister and its top nuclear official. The discussions focused on how the IAEA could facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran as a second round of talks approaches. U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning, threatening military action against Iran should the negotiations collapse.
“I am also in contact with the American negotiator to see how the agency can be a bridge between Iran and the U.S., and help achieve a positive outcome in the negotiations,” Grossi said. He also emphasised that IAEA verification would be necessary for any potential nuclear accord to be considered valid.
The backdrop to these renewed talks is the collapse of the 2015 nuclear agreement, which the U.S. abandoned in 2018 under Trump’s presidency. That deal had involved Iran and several major world powers and was designed to restrict Iran’s uranium enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran exceeded the pact’s uranium limits and curtailed the IAEA’s ability to monitor its nuclear programme.
In February, the IAEA issued a report warning of the gravity of the current situation, citing Iran’s enrichment of uranium to as much as 60% purity—just below weapons-grade level. Iran has consistently denied that it intends to develop nuclear weapons.