Iran must explain past uranium traces before a new deal, UN nuclear chief says
The UN nuclear watchdog warned that any new agreement with Iran is impossible before Tehran resolves outstanding questions about uranium traces found at undeclared sites.
The UN nuclear watchdog warned that any new agreement with Iran is impossible before Tehran resolves outstanding questions about uranium traces found at undeclared sites.
"Common sense dictates you cannot build on a shaky basis," the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in an interview with Bloomberg, stressing that unresolved issues concerning uranium traces discovered at undeclared locations must be addressed.
"We discovered traces of uranium at places that were not supposed to have hosted any nuclear activity," he said, adding that satisfactory answers from Iran are still lacking. "We haven't had, I must say, answers or satisfying answers, to these questions."
The IAEA chief indicated that the current state of discussions with Iran regarding the unresolved uranium traces is not meeting the agency's expectations. "Well, we are not I must admit, we are not where we would like to be."
He acknowledged US President Donald Trump's outreach to Iran's Supreme Leader and his own recent and planned visits to Tehran, but underscored the necessity of addressing these past issues to establish a solid foundation for future negotiations.
"These things come together because you have, on one hand, these unresolved questions from the past. And then, yeah, at the same time the possibility of having some viable agreement form for the future."
The IAEA chief also highlighted the catastrophic potential of a nuclear-armed Iran in the volatile Middle East.
"The addition of that to the pot of nuclear weapons would be catastrophic," he said.
He called for continued efforts by the United States, European allies, and Iran to find a viable path forward as a matter of necessity, but only after the past discrepancies are resolved.
Iran has enriched uranium to up to 60% fissile purity, closer to the 90% needed for a bomb.
Iran's uranium stock refined to up to 60% grew by 92.5 kilograms (kg) in the past quarter to 274.8 kg, one of the IAEA reports said. According to an IAEA yardstick, the amount is enough in principle for six nuclear bombs if enriched further.
While Tehran has reduced IAEA inspections since 2021 and in 2023 barred a third of the inspectors, it continues to argue that its nuclear activities are peaceful.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “informed Mr. Fuad Hussein of the contents of a letter from US President Donald Trump addressed to the Iranian leadership, represented by the Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei,” Iraq's foreign ministry said in a statement.
“He confirmed that the Iranian government will respond to the letter.”
Last week, an Emirati official brought a letter from Trump proposing nuclear talks with Tehran, which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected, saying such a proposal was deception from Washington amid crippling sanctions on Iran.
According to Iraq's foreign ministry, Hussein appreciated being briefed on the contents of President Trump’s letter and said he hoped that the exchange of messages would help open channels for dialogue between the two sides.
The two diplomats also discussed bilateral ties and agreed to continue communication, particularly during the sensitive phase ahead, the ministry added.
According to Axios, Trump’s letter to Khamenei included a two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear agreement and warned of consequences if Iran expanded its nuclear program.
Iran's foreign ministry also released a readout of the call but made no mention of Trump’s letter. Instead, it focused on the escalation in Gaza and Lebanon following what it called brutal attacks by Israel, and the US military offensive in Yemen.
In part of the readout, the Iranian foreign ministry said Araghchi addressed US sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, saying the American claims and accusations aimed at pressuring Tehran were baseless.
The readout did not make any mention of Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani who on Monday said Iranian oil tankers stopped by US forces in the Persian Gulf were using forged Iraqi documents, as Washington ramps up sanctions on Iran's oil exports as part of US President Donald Trump renewed "maximum pressure" campaign.