HELSINKI: The deaths of Iran’s president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash have caused a pause in the UN nuclear watchdog’s talks with Tehran over improving cooperation with the agency, the watchdog’s chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Wednesday.
“They are in a mourning period which I need to respect,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Grossi said in Helsinki, where he spoke at a nuclear conference.
“But once this is over, we are going to be engaging again,” he said, describing it as a “temporary interruption that I hope will be over in a matter of days.”
Grossi said the IAEA was planning to continue technical discussions with Iran but they had not yet taken place due to last weekend’s helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
The IAEA faces a range of challenges in Iran, from Tehran’s recent barring of many of the most experienced uranium-enrichment experts on its inspection team to Iran’s continued failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites despite a years-long IAEA investigation.
The IAEA has been trying to expand its oversight of Iran’s atomic activities while the country’s uranium-enrichment program continues to advance. Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60 percent purity, close to the 90 percent of weapons-grade, which no other country has done without developing nuclear weapons.
Tehran says its aims are entirely peaceful.
Iran currently has about 140 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, Grossi said. According to an IAEA definition, that is theoretically enough, if enriched further, for three nuclear bombs. The IAEA’s last quarterly report in February said Iran had 121.5 kg, enough for two bombs.
Iran is still producing about nine kg a month of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, Grossi said. It is also enriching to lower levels at which it has enough material for potentially more bombs.
Grossi, who two weeks ago said he wanted to start to see concrete results on improved cooperation from Iran soon, repeated that hope but said a more wide-ranging deal would require “a bit more time.”
For now, his team had not made progress on the main issues, he said.
“It is high time there is some concrete issuance and if not resolution, some clarification of what is this,” Grossi said of the uranium traces at undeclared sites.
“And I would say, confidence in many parts of the world (in Iran on the nuclear issue) is growing thinner.
Death of Iran’s president has delayed talks with UN nuclear watchdog, Grossi says
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Death of Iran’s president has delayed talks with UN nuclear watchdog, Grossi says
- The International Atomic Energy Agency faces a range of challenges in Iran
- Nuclear watchdog has been trying to expand its oversight of Iran’s atomic activities
IMF approves reviews, unlocks $240m in funding for Jordan
- The decision allows Jordan to draw about $130 million under the EFF and about $110 million under the RSF
AMMAN: The International Monetary Fund’s executive board has completed the fourth review of Jordan’s Extended Fund Facility and the first review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, unlocking immediate access to about $240 million to support the Kingdom’s economic program.
The decision allows Jordan to draw about $130 million under the EFF and about $110 million under the RSF, bringing total disbursements under the IMF arrangement to about $733 million.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the IMF said Jordan’s economy “remains resilient,” supported by sound macroeconomic policies and strong international backing.
Growth accelerated to 2.7 percent in the first half of 2025 and is expected to reach about 3 percent in the coming years, driven by major investment projects, deeper regional integration and continued structural reforms.
Inflation remains anchored at about 2 percent, while the current account deficit is projected to narrow to below 5 percent of GDP over the medium term. The IMF also noted that Jordan’s banking sector is stable and international reserves remain strong.
Fiscal performance continues to align with program targets, underpinned by robust revenue collection and disciplined current spending. The authorities remain committed to reducing public debt to 80 percent of GDP by 2028 through gradual fiscal consolidation, while protecting social and development spending and reducing losses at public utilities.
The IMF said progress under the RSF is ongoing, with reforms addressing vulnerabilities in the water and electricity sectors and strengthening health emergency preparedness. All reform measures scheduled for the current review have been completed.
Commenting after the board discussion, IMF Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura said Jordan’s continued macroeconomic stability amid persistent external headwinds reflects the authorities’ commitment to sound policies, supported by strong international assistance.
He said growth continues to recover, inflation remains low and reserve buffers are strong, stressing the importance of maintaining prudent fiscal and monetary policies amid regional tensions and global uncertainty.
Okamura added that accelerated structural reforms are essential to foster job-rich growth, improve the business environment, enhance labour market flexibility, tackle youth unemployment and low female labour force participation, and attract private investment.
He also underlined the importance of sustained donor support to help Jordan manage external challenges and the economic cost of hosting large numbers of refugees, while noting that progress under the RSF would help address long-term vulnerabilities and strengthen balance-of-payments stability.
