TEHRAN, Apr 17: UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Thursday that Iran and the United States were running out of time to secure a deal as they prepare to hold fresh nuclear talks this weekend.
Iranian and US delegations are to gather in Rome on Saturday for a second round of Omani-mediated negotiations, a week after the longtime foes held their highest-level talks since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear accord in 2018.
"We are in a very crucial stage of these important negotiations. We know we don't have much time, this is why I am here ... to facilitate this process," Grossi said on a visit to Tehran.
"We are working hard and we want to succeed," he told a joint news conference with Iran's atomic energy agency chief Mohammad Eslami, acknowledging that the search for a deal was "not an easy process".
On Wednesday, Grossi met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the first round of talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday.
Araghchi said he had a "useful" meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency chief.
"The IAEA can play a crucial role in peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear file in the coming months," he said.
Araghchi called on the IAEA chief to "keep the agency away from politics" in the face of "spoilers" seeking to "derail current negotiations". He did not elaborate.
Before heading to Iran, Grossi told French newspaper Le Monde that Tehran was "not far" from possessing a nuclear bomb.
Western governments have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.
A year after Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran began rolling back its own commitments under the agreement, which gave it relief from sanctions in return for IAEA-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities.
In its latest report, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilogrammes (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent.
That level far exceeds the 3.67 percent enrichment ceiling set by the 2015 deal, but still falls short of the 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead.
Since he returned to office in January, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" policy of punishing economic sanctions against Iran.
In March, he sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.
Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday, the UN nuclear watchdog should play a role in nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, ahead of a second round of talks between the US and Iran.
"I am also in contact with the American negotiator to see how the agency can be a bridge between Iran and the US, and help achieve a positive outcome in the negotiations," Grossi said, adding that verification by the IAEA would be required to make any nuclear deal valid. �"AFP, REUTERS
