Iran Agrees on Nuclear Issue Roadmap with IAEA... Related Documents to Be Provided by June 21

IAEA Secretary General "Agreement on Substantive and Practical Approach"... Explanation of Uranium Traces Is the Key Issue

On the 5th (local time) in Tehran, Iran, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (right), is having a conversation with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian Foreign Minister (left).
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Iran has agreed on a roadmap to resolve all nuclear-related issues with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

According to major foreign media including AFP on the 5th (local time), Iran has agreed on a roadmap to resolve all outstanding issues related to its nuclear program with the IAEA.

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), held a joint press conference with Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, who was visiting Tehran, the capital of Iran, stating, "We have agreed to provide documents related to the issues between Iran and the IAEA to the IAEA by June 21." Director General Grossi also said that although several issues remain, they have decided to take a practical and pragmatic approach to overcome them.

Director General Grossi arrived in Tehran late the previous day and met with Iranian officials. In a televised press conference, he said, "It is important to understand each other like this in order to work together very intensively," adding, "Without resolving these issues, efforts to revive the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) may be impossible."

According to major foreign media, while Iran hopes that concerns over traces of uranium found at several old undeclared nuclear sites will be closed, Western countries argue that this should be handled separately from the nuclear deal restoration and falls under the jurisdiction of the IAEA. They want Iran to explain the uranium traces. Europe and the IAEA believe that Iran operated an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003, but Iran has consistently denied this.

Previously, after former U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Iran accelerated uranium enrichment from the following year, effectively nullifying the deal. Iran enriched uranium up to 60% purity, approaching the weapons-grade level of 90%, and reportedly increased its uranium stockpile to 15 times the 2015 limit.

Subsequently, negotiations to restore the nuclear deal continued among Iran, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, and Russia after U.S. President Joe Biden took office. The United States participated only indirectly.

The Western side is pressuring to expedite the nuclear deal, as Iran’s nuclear development has already reached a certain trajectory. On the other hand, Iran is largely unconcerned about time, demanding a full lifting of sanctions and guarantees that the nuclear deal will not be reversed again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.