Iran Claims Nuclear Talks With IAEA Going Smoothly

Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami says Tehran and UN atomic watchdog, the IAEA, are in constant contact and talks between the two sides are progressing.

Eslami said Tuesday that the talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency are pursued and experts report daily on the progress.

Meanwhile, in a communique, G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan reiterated Tuesday that Iran should never develop nuclear weapons.

“We call on Iran to fulfil its legal obligations and political commitments regarding nuclear non-proliferation without further delay,” G7’s final communique said.

Additionally, the G7 ministers expressed concern over Iranian destabilizing activities in the region and weapons transfers to Russia.

During a trip to Tehran in early March, IAEA's director Rafael Grossi said he reached an agreement to ensure Iran's full cooperation and said more meetings would take place soon.

His visit came amid discussions with Iran about uranium particles enriched to up to 83.7% purity, very close to weapons grade, at its Fordow enrichment plant.

Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. However, the US and its allies suspect that the Islamic Republic is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. The US imposed strict economic sanctions on the country in an effort to force it to change course.

Iran signed an agreement with six major world powers in 2015 in exchange for relief from US, European Union, and UN sanctions on its nuclear program.

However, former US President Donald Trump reneged on the deal in 2018, restoring harsh US sanctions, which resulted in Iran violating the deal's nuclear limits.