Rafael Grossi
Rafael GrossiLev Radin/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday he had sensed a greater willingness by Iranian officials to engage with the agency in a more meaningful way after talks in New York, and that he hoped to travel to Tehran in October, Reuters reported.

The IAEA has long sought answers from Iran regarding the origin and current location of man-made uranium particles found at two undeclared sites, Varamin and Turquzabad, as part of the IAEA's years-long investigation.

In addition, the IAEA has published several reports which have found that Iran has significantly expanded its stockpile of uranium enriched to levels close to weapons-grade, defying international demands.

Grossi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, one of the key architects to the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"What I see is an expressed willingness to re-engage with us in a more meaningful fashion," Grossi told Reuters in an interview following the meeting.

Grossi said he wanted to make real progress in restoring proper technical discussions with Iran quickly and was aiming to travel to Tehran in October to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

"Of course now we have to give content and substance to this because we are not starting from zero. We have had relatively protracted process without replies to some of the questions we have," he told Reuters.

"We also need to calibrate together with them how we go through this period where they are waiting to see what is going to happen with their other partners, starting with the United States," added Grossi.

Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers, in response to then-US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

In July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran is capable of producing fissile material for use in a nuclear weapon within "one or two weeks."

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently signaled openness to renewed negotiations with the United States over the Iranian nuclear program, stating there was “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy.”

At the same time, Khamenei also reiterated his warnings that Washington cannot be trusted.