The Iranian government announced on Wednesday that it had invited the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, to come to Tehran in May after criticism from the UN watchdog over its nuclear program.
“We have invited Mr. Grossi to give a speech at the international conference on nuclear energy”
which will be held from May 6 to 8 in Iran, announced the president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (OIEA). , Mohammad Eslami.
Rafael Grossi recently expressed his willingness to visit Iran as the IAEA struggles to control Iran's nuclear program, which continues to gain momentum although Tehran denies wanting to build an atomic bomb.
During his last visit, in March 2023, Rafael Grossi met President Ebrahim Raïssi and welcomed
“constructive discussions”
with the Iranian authorities.
But he has since deplored, in January, the fact that Iran has restricted
cooperation with the UN body
“in an unprecedented manner” , denouncing a
“hostage-taking”
by the Iranian government.
Tehran denies wanting to build an atomic bomb
Iran is subject to severe economic sanctions imposed by the United States of Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from the international nuclear agreement, concluded three years earlier and providing for limitations on the Iranian nuclear program.
In response, Tehran began to free itself from its commitments dictated by this pact before slowing down its rate of production of uranium enriched to 60% during last year while informal talks had resumed with the United States.
But Iran accelerated again at the end of 2023.
At the beginning of February, Mohammad Eslami announced the start of construction work on a new nuclear research reactor in Isfahan (center), a few days after reporting a nuclear power plant project in the south of the country.
Tehran has always maintained that its nuclear activities are peaceful and denied wanting to build an atomic bomb.