Iran says talks with IAEA's Grossi have been 'positive'

[May 07, 2024]  DUBAI (Reuters) - Talks between Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog have been positive and productive, Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said on Tuesday in a joint news conference with the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in the Iranian city of Isfahan.

Grossi flew to Iran on Monday hoping to bolster oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency of Tehran's atomic activities after various setbacks, but analysts and diplomats say he has limited leverage and must be wary of empty promises.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi meets with the Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami (not pictured) in Isfahan, Iran, May 7, 2024. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

In 2023, Tehran gave sweeping assurances to the U.N. nuclear watchdog that it will assist a long-stalled investigation into uranium particles found at undeclared sites and re-install removed monitoring equipment. But little came of those assurances, IAEA reports to member states show.

"We continue interactions over unresolved issues, including issues regarding two sites," Eslami said in the televised news conference.

Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the around 90% of weapons grade. If that material were enriched further, it would suffice for two nuclear weapons, according to an official IAEA yardstick.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons but no other state has enriched to that level without producing them.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Michael Georgy, William Maclean)

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