Vienna - Tehran: Europe and the Arabs
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that the outstanding issues in the Iranian nuclear program could be resolved if the country dealt positively with the agency, and stressed that this could not happen “with the touch of a magic wand.” According to what was stated in the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received this morning
It also stated that in a press conference held in Vienna after his return from an official visit to Iran, Mr. Grossi said that he expected “tangible results soon” in the talks between the two sides on the implementation of the joint cooperation statement issued in March of last year.
He stressed that the aim of the visit was to reconnect, hold serious talks and begin analyzing a number of concrete proposals “that could feed into different areas” covered by the joint statement, including specific and very sensitive actions.
The Director-General of the Agency said that the Iranian nuclear file involves political issues, some of which are not within his jurisdiction. He explained: “When it comes to lifting sanctions and things like that, which are extremely important for Iran, I am not the one who has the key to resolving these issues.”
Mr. Grossi said that the process of discussions between the two sides is complex and difficult, and despite this, there is "sometimes a kind of expectation that there will be a touch of a magic wand and we will resolve the issues." He stressed that this is impossible due to the complexity of the issues, some of which date back to the past, while others still exist.
Mr. Grossi said that during his discussions in Tehran and Isfahan, he clearly expressed the need to achieve results as soon as possible, because the current situation is “completely unsatisfactory” and must change.
He added: “I think there is an understanding that there is a set of issues that we have identified in this joint statement – which to me is very much alive. It is very important that it is kept alive because it includes all the things, including voluntary and additional measures, that in my opinion should Iran must agree to it.”
The Director-General welcomed the clear statements he heard in Iran – including those by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian – that it was “ready to engage in very concrete actions”, and stressed that action now needed to be done on this matter.