Int'l Atomic Energy Agency chief to visit Iran Saturday

By Askin Kiyagan

VIENNA (AA) - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will pay a visit to Iran on Feb. 20, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

“[Rafael] Grossi will visit Tehran on Saturday for discussions with senior Iranian officials in order to find a mutually agreeable solution for the IAEA to continue essential verification activities in the country,” the statement said.

Last week, Grossi had offered to travel to Iran in view of the country’s decision “to stop implementing voluntary transparency measures under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as of 23 February, including the Additional Protocol, which would have a serious impact on the IAEA’s verification and monitoring activities in the country,” it added.

Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, Vienna, also confirmed on Twitter that the IAEA head will travel to Tehran on Saturday.

The ambassador announced on Feb. 15 that they informed the IAEA that they would stop implementing the Additional Protocol under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as of Feb. 23.

Tensions have again heightened in recent weeks amid a stalemate over the revival of the 2015 nuclear accord and the fast-approaching deadline to stop implementing the Additional Protocol.

The protocol, which Iran signed in December 2003, requires signatories to provide an elaborate declaration of their nuclear activities and gives the UN agency access to their nuclear sites.

* Writing and contribution by Iclal Turan in Ankara.