TEHRAN, Nov 14: International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi met Iran's top diplomat Thursday as he began crunch nuclear talks in Tehran weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
During his first term in the White House from 2017 to 2021, Trump was the architect of a policy called "maximum pressure" which reimposed sweeping US economic sanctions that had been lifted under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
Grossi, who arrived in Tehran late Wednesday, is expected "to negotiate with the country's top nuclear and political officials," Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
Grossi described his meeting with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as "indispensable" in a post on X. Araghchi was Iran's chief negotiator in the talks that led to the 2015 deal.
For his part, Araghchi said the meeting was "important & straightforward" and renewed Iran's commitment to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"We agreed to proceed with courage and good will. Iran has never left the negotiation table on its peaceful nuclear programme," he said in his post.
Araghchi said Iran was "willing to negotiate" based on the "national interest" and "inalienable rights," but was not "ready to negotiate under pressure and intimidation".
Grossi also met the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, the Tasnim news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Iran will not negotiate under "intimidation" as he held crunch talks with the UN nuclear chief weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said achieving "results" in nuclear talks with Iran was vital to avoid a new conflict in the region already inflamed by Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
His visit comes just days after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran was "more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities" giving Israel "the opportunity to achieve our most important goal".
Grossi said Iranian nuclear installations "should not be attacked" but Trump is expected to give Israel a far freer rein after he takes office in January. —AFP
