Iran agrees to IAEA visit in coming weeks

United Nations, July 24 (IANS) Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said here that Tehran has agreed to receive a technical team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which will visit Iran in two to three weeks.

The visit from the IAEA technical delegation to Iran will happen "very soon, in two to three weeks," Gharibabadi told reporters on Wednesday.

He said the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran is assessing the damages to the nuclear installations, and "the delegation will come to Iran to discuss the modality, not to go to the (nuclear) sites".

Gharibabadi added that if a new round of negotiations between the US and Iran takes place, it will only be done indirectly, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Monday, Gharibabadi held a special meeting with the ambassadors of the Group of Friends in Defence of the Charter of the United Nations, during which he "detailed the dimensions of the recent acts of aggression" by Israel and the US against Iran, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Gharibabadi said a bill passed by Iran's Parliament mandates the suspension of all cooperation with the IAEA and that its resumption depends on ensuring the safety and security of Iran's nuclear facilities and personnel.

"Accordingly, we have agreed to the visit of the IAEA technical team to Tehran within the next two to three weeks to discuss the framework for cooperation," he noted.

The senior diplomat characterised the decision as another gesture of goodwill by Iran, despite its dissatisfaction with the IAEA's approach.

"We hope this initiative will be welcomed and that they will value such cooperation and goodwill," he said.

Tensions between Iran and the IAEA have been particularly high during the tenure of its current Secretary General, Rafael Grossi.

This strain has deepened after Grossi laid the groundwork for an anti-Iran IAEA resolution by raising what Iran calls unfounded allegations in his latest report, as well as after he refused to condemn US-Israeli actions against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran has accused Grossi, who has been in frequent contact with Israeli officials, of using fabricated documents provided by the regime to justify allegations against Iran's peaceful nuclear activities.

Addressing Iran's nuclear policy, Gharibabadi reiterated that Iran will continue enriching uranium based on its own needs.

"Iran will enrich uranium based on its own needs. We must have the capability to carry out everything we require," he stressed.

He dismissed suggestions of a voluntary enrichment freeze as a goodwill gesture in talks with Western countries, citing past disappointments and warning against reliance on third-party enforcement.

"We have bitter experience in this area and cannot rely on a third-party enforcer," he said, referring to the refusal of Western and other countries to supply Iran with enriched uranium for the Tehran nuclear research reactor.

On threats by the three European members of the 2015 nuclear deal to invoke the accord's so-called snapback mechanism to restore anti-Iran sanctions, Gharibabadi warned that Iran will react seriously to such a decision.

"In fact, the Europeans have no right to initiate the snapback mechanism. But if they do, Iran will not remain passive. We will respond. We are obliged to respond," he said.

The diplomat added that he cannot rule out Iran deciding to withdraw from the NPT, noting that the decision has previously been considered by Iran's former administration.

"That option remains on the table. However, what other measures Iran may take is still under review by officials in Tehran. Without a doubt, there will be a reaction, part of which has already been determined," the diplomat said.

--IANS

int/khz