TEHRAN: UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi arrived in Iran Monday, where he is expected to speak at a conference and meet officials for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tensions and with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticizing Iran for lack of cooperation on inspections and other outstanding issues.
News agencies reported Grossi’s arrival “at the head of a delegation to participate in the nuclear conference and negotiate with top nuclear and political officials of the country.”
He met with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and is scheduled to meet Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Mohammad Eslami.
Grossi later said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that at his meeting with the foreign minister he proposed “concrete practical measures” with the “aim of restoring process of confidence building and increasing transparency.”
Grossi is also expected to deliver a speech at Iran’s first International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology, which began on Monday.
At its opening ceremony, Eslami expressed hopes of cooperation with the IAEA, saying this was “at the forefront of the Islamic republic of Iran’s policies.”
“We hope that the agency can play its role as an independent international institution free from political pressures,” he added.
The three-day event is being held in Isfahan province, home to the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and where strikes attributed to Israel hit last month.
IAEA and Iranian officials reported “no damage” to nuclear facilities after the reported attack on Isfahan.
This was widely seen as Israel’s response to Iran’s first-ever direct attack on its arch-foe days earlier, which itself was retaliation for a deadly strike on Tehran’s Damascus consulate.
On Wednesday Eslami said he was “sure that these negotiations will further help clear ambiguities, and we will be able to strengthen our relations with the agency.”
Iran has in recent years deactivated IAEA monitoring devices at its nuclear facilities and barred inspectors, according to the UN agency.
Grossi last visited in March 2023 and met top officials including President Ebrahim Raisi.
Iran has suspended its compliance with caps on nuclear activities set by a landmark 2015 deal with major powers after the United States in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
Tensions between Iran and the IAEA have repeatedly flared since the deal fell apart, and EU-mediated efforts have so far failed both to bring Washington back on board and to get Tehran to again comply with the terms of the accord.
Last year, Iran slowed the pace of its uranium enrichment, which was seen as a goodwill gesture while informal talks began with the United States.
But the Vienna-based UN nuclear agency said Iran accelerated the production of 60-percent enriched uranium in late 2023.
Enrichment levels of around 90 percent are required for military use.
Tehran has consistently denied wanting to develop nuclear weapons, insisting that its atomic activities were entirely peaceful.
In February, the IAEA said in a confidential report seen by AFP that Iran’s estimated stockpile of enriched uranium had reached 27 times the limit set out in the 2015 accord.
On Sunday, the official IRNA news agency said Grossi’s visit provided “an opportunity for the two sides to share their concerns,” especially regarding IAEA inspectors.
Iran in September withdrew the accreditation of several inspectors, a move the UN agency described at the time as “extreme and unjustified.”
Tehran said its decision was a consequence of “political abuses” by the United States, France, Germany and Britain.
Eslami has previously said the IAEA has “more than 130 inspectors” working in Iran.
On Monday, he insisted that the UN body carries out more inspections in Iran than in any other part of the world.
“Our nuclear capacity is 3 percent of the world and the (IAEA) inspection stands at 22 percent,” he said.
IAEA chief in Iran as concern grows over nuclear activity
https://arab.news/9dscr
IAEA chief in Iran as concern grows over nuclear activity
- Grossi met with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and is scheduled to meet Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Mohammad Eslami
Israeli airstrikes pound areas north of Litani River as tensions with Hezbollah escalate
- Raids day after Tel Aviv signaled possible resumption of strikes, accusing Lebanon of ‘not moving fast enough’
- US President Donald Trump says Hezbollah ‘must be completely disarmed’
BEIRUT: Israeli airstrikes on Friday hit several areas north of the Litani River, a day after Israel signaled it could resume its attacks on Hezbollah after claiming the Lebanese army was “not moving fast enough” and that the Iran-backed group was “rebuilding its military system.”
The raids struck multiple locations across the Iqlim Al-Tuffah region, the heights of Jabal Al-Rihane, and the towns of Mlikh and Aaramta in the Jezzine District, as well as the area around Qal’at Meiss between Ansar and Al-Zrariyah. Strikes on the Tabna area, on the outskirts of Al-Baisariyah in the Sidon–Zahrani district, cut the road linking nearby villages.
Airstrikes also hit the valley between Kafroue and Aazze in the Nabatieh District, the outskirts of Ain Al-Tineh, and Jabal Machghara in Western Bekaa, while Israeli warplanes flew at low altitude over the south, reaching the airspace of Baalbek, northern Bekaa, and the surrounding villages.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that Israel’s forces had targeted a “training compound” of the Radwan Force of Hezbollah allegedly used to conduct training for its members “in order to plan and carry out terrorist plots against army forces and the citizens of the state of Israel. The terrorist operatives were undergoing shooting training and qualification in the use of various combat means.”
Adraee added that the Israeli army struck “buildings and military facilities (used) for storing weapons” belonging to Hezbollah, and suggested that attacks were likely to continue.
Political writer Ali Al-Amin told Arab News: “The areas targeted by the Israeli airstrikes on Friday had previously been targeted repeatedly, but these areas are valleys and closed spaces belonging to the party, extending from the south to the Western Bekaa, and everyone knows that they contain bases and armament centers.”
Al-Amin added that Hezbollah “is currently living (in) an unprecedented moment of weakness. Iran, on the other hand, is facing a renewed predicament, confronting internal protests at a moment of external pullback, which means that whether Hezbollah hands over its weapons or does not hand them over, it is in a state of exposure at a time of a major imbalance.”
The end of 2025 marked the deadline Lebanon committed to for the state’s monopoly of arms south of the Litani River. On Jan. 8, its first session of the year, the Cabinet is expected to hear the Lebanese army’s report announcing the completion of its mission, preceding the second phase which covers the southern area up to the Awali River. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country remained committed to meeting the deadline.
An official political source confirmed to Arab News: “The army commander will present his report and the military institution will continue its mission. There will be no postponement.”
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a statement: “Hezbollah’s disarmament is a US-Israeli project targeting Lebanon and its sovereignty and independence, even if it is marketed under the banner of exclusive state control of arms.”
He added that the demand for control of weapons amid “continued Israeli attacks means that you are not working in Lebanon’s interest, but in Israel’s interest.”
On Thursday, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump said that Hezbollah “has been behaving badly” and “must be completely disarmed,” adding that “the Lebanese government is at a little bit of a disadvantage” with the group.
Asked whether Israel should strike Hezbollah in Lebanon due to the group’s refusal to disarm, Trump replied: “We’re going to see about that.”
Sirens sounded in Baram in Western Galilee in Israel on Friday morning, and a missile was launched toward a target in Upper Galilee, exploding in the north near the Lebanese towns of Maroun Al-Ras and Yaroun. Israeli Army Radio later reported that it had been a false alarm and the “suspect was a flock of birds.”
