Nuclear: the head of the IAEA is expected in Iran next week in a particularly tense situation

Whether it’s Tehran’s potential to produce atomic bombs or the risks posed by attacks on Iranian facilities, International Atomic Energy Agency Director Rafael Grossi will discuss it on May 6 and 7 with senior Islamic Republic officials. It has been more than a year since the director of the UN body last visited the country. This trip was confirmed to AFP by the IAEA. The official representative of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, also announced the trip.

According to the Tasnim news agency, Rafael Grossi will take part in “the first international conference on nuclear energy” planned in Isfahan province. The head of the IAEA expressed concern and called on “everyone to exercise extreme restraint” following a retaliatory attack on Iran attributed to Israel on April 19. Tehran sent drones and missiles against the Jewish state on the night of April 13-14.

According to the Vienna-based agency, no damage was reported at nuclear facilities after the explosions recorded in the center of the country. Since Rafael Grossi’s last visit in March 2023, relations between the two sides have deteriorated sharply, with Tehran limiting cooperation while continuing its nuclear escalation.

Enough material to make several bombs.

The IAEA is responsible for verifying the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. However, since 2021, inspections have been significantly reduced, surveillance cameras have been switched off, and the panel’s accreditation has been revoked. The current situation heightens concerns as Tehran has enough material to make several atomic bombs.

Iran, which denies such intentions, is “the only country not equipped with nuclear weapons to enrich uranium to 60% and accumulate” large stockpiles, Iran’s director general recalled to the UN agency in March. This threshold is close to the 90% needed to make a bomb and well above the permitted ceiling of 3.67%, which is equivalent to what is used to generate electricity.

Iran has gradually freed itself from obligations under a 2015 international agreement governing its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

The pact, known by its acronym JCPOA, collapsed after then-President Donald Trump decided to withdraw United States troops in 2018. Discussions held in Vienna to revive it in the summer of 2022 have failed, and there is no hope for a revival in the short term.