IAEA Head Set For Tehran Visit As US/E3 Disagree Over Censure

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed earlier reports that its Director General Rafael Grossi will travel to Iran on Friday 3 March for 'high-level meetings', with speculation that this could include President Ebrahim Raisi. Reuters reports that efforts are being made to convince Tehran to cooperate with IAEA investigations into trace amounts of uranium found at undeclared nuclear sites. As a result of this, the IAEA's Board of Governors passed a resolution in Nov 2022 calling to immediate cooperation, which has not been forthcoming.

• Comes as the WSJ reports that the US and E3 (France, Germany, UK) are divided over the issue of censuring Tehran over the issue. Laurence Norman at the WSJ:
  • "Washington has pushed back on an E3 proposal to censure Iran over its recent nuclear activities at the IAEA board next week. [...] "
  • "Among the reasons not to censure next week -- there was a censure resolution in Nov/Iran will likely retaliate/IAEA still talking to Iran about near weapons-grade material & say unclear if accidental or deliberate/previous censures have not changed Iran course."
  • "Among the reasons to do it, Euros say, this wouldn't happen if Iran wasn't enriched to 60%/skepticism that this was accidental/the fact that this happened when Iran was carrying out centrifuge work without informing the IAEA. [...]"