The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, announced on Wednesday that he may travel to Iran in the coming days to discuss the country’s contentious atomic program, Reuters reported.
He also expressed optimism about working constructively with US President-elect Donald Trump, according to the report.
"We are already talking to colleagues in Iran for my next visit, maybe in a few days. We still have to confirm the time but this will be done," Grossi stated at a news conference in Rome following a nuclear energy event.
While not officially confirmed, Iranian officials have expressed openness to a visit from Grossi, signaling that Tehran is prepared to work with the IAEA to address outstanding issues, though no specifics were provided.
Key issues include Iran’s restrictions on uranium-enrichment experts within IAEA inspection teams and its longstanding failure to clarify uranium traces detected at undeclared sites.
Iran’s decision to ban IAEA inspectors was one of the many steps it has taken since 2018 to scale back its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers, after Trump withdrew the US from the deal during his first term in office.
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.
Currently, Tehran is enriching uranium to a level of 60% fissile purity, edging closer to the 90% threshold required for nuclear weapons.
Grossi has previously said he sensed a greater willingness by Iranian officials to engage with the agency in a more meaningful way, but later expressed doubts that Iran would be willing to reinstate the IAEA inspectors who have specialized knowledge of Iran’s uranium enrichment operations.