Iran hopes for ‘constructive’ visit by IAEA chief

TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday it hoped a visit by the chief of the UN’s atomic watchdog would be "constructive", just days ahead of the resumption of talks seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was to arrive in Tehran later on Monday. He was expected to meet Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Atomic Energy Organisation chief Mohammed Eslami, who is also one of Iran’s vice presidents.

"We hope that Rafael Grossi’s visit will be as constructive as the previous ones," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters. "We have always advised the IAEA to stay on the path of technical cooperation, and to not let certain countries pursue their political orientations on behalf of the IAEA," he added.

On Friday, the IAEA said Tehran had again increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, many times in excess of the limit laid down in the 2015 agreement. Grossi’s visit comes as Iran readies for talks with world powers in Vienna on November 29 on saving Tehran’s 2015 deal with major powers, that promised it sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.