WANA (Jun 14) – Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has announced that the agency is prepared to take on the role of technical mediator and verification body for any potential nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States.

 

According to the Korean news agency Yonhap, Grossi made the remarks on the sidelines of a seminar organized by the IAEA for international media journalists. He emphasized that verification is the agency’s core mandate and said the IAEA would be part of any future process aimed at resolving the issue.

 

“The most important task of the Agency is verification, and we are going to be part of the process of settling this matter,” Grossi said.

 

He added that if Iran and the United States reach an agreement and request the IAEA to carry out verification, he would need to seek authorization from the agency’s Board of Governors before proceeding.

 

Grossi also noted that any potential agreement would likely require comprehensive monitoring measures, stressing that all dimensions of such a deal would need to be carefully examined. “If an agreement is reached, it will be a comprehensive one, and we will have to look at all aspects of it,” he said.

 

These remarks come amid reports suggesting that Iran and the United States may be close to reaching a preliminary understanding. Iran has stressed that this initial memorandum of understanding does not include nuclear issues, which are expected to be addressed in a separate 60-day negotiation phase between the two sides.

 

The developments also come against a backdrop of ongoing tensions between Iran and the IAEA. In its latest report ahead of the recent Board of Governors meeting, the agency again referred to a “loss of continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s nuclear program, without addressing reported attacks on nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, which Tehran says have reduced cooperation.

 

The report helped pave the way for another anti-Iran resolution supported by the United States and European countries. Iran’s mission to the United Nations described the resolution as “political,” questioning the credibility of the IAEA and accusing it of being used as a tool by war-mongering actors, while failing to express concern over major illegal attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities under safeguards.

 

Grossi also reiterated the importance of preserving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and strengthening effective multilateral institutions for global security and non-proliferation efforts at a time of rising geopolitical tensions.

 

In May, member states of the NPT failed to agree on a final document at the review conference in New York, marking the third consecutive failure to reach consensus at such a meeting.