The IAEA Must Be Involved In Iran-US Nuclear Talks

Director General of IAEA Rafael Grossi. (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - The United Nations nuclear watchdog must play a role in nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi said on Thursday, ahead of the second round of talks between Washington and Tehran.

Grossi, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, held discussions with Iran's foreign minister and nuclear chief about how the IAEA could support Iran-US nuclear talks.

"I am also contacting American negotiators to see how the agency can become a bridge between Iran and the US, and help achieve positive results in negotiations," Grossi said, adding verification by the IAEA would be needed to make any nuclear deal legal. April 17th.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if talks fail.

In 2018, President Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and major countries of the world, which caused Iran to then exceed the uranium enrichment limit of the deal and limited IAEA surveillance.

In February, the IAEA released a report saying the current situation was "very concerning" as Tehran enriched uranium to a 60 percent purity level, close to the weapons level. Tehran itself has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.