Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, second right, is welcomed by Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, right, as he is accompanied by Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, second left, at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP)FILE - In this Monday, June 7, 2021 file photo, the flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) waves at the entrance of the Vienna International Center in Vienna. The U.N. atomic watchdog said on Tuesday, Sept. 7 that Iran has continued to increase its stockpile of highly enriched uranium that could be used to make nuclear weapons in contravention of a 2015 accord with world powers that was meant to contain Tehran's nuclear program. The IAEA also told member states in its confidential quarterly report Tuesday that its verification and monitoring activities have been seriously undermined since February by Iran's refusal to let inspectors access IAEA monitoring equipment. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner, file)In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi speaks in a live televised interview with state-run TV, at the presidency office in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Ebrahim Raisi attends a live televised interview with state-run TV, at the presidency office in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, center, speaks with Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, left, upon his arrival at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, sits at right. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP)
Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, second right, is welcomed by Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, right, as he is accompanied by Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Kazem Gharibabadi, second left, at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP)
TEHRAN – Iran says that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is arriving in the country for talks with Iranian officials.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, said in a tweet that Rafael Grossi is arriving Saturday, and will travel to Tehran this afternoon. He's scheduled to meet Iran's vice-president and head of the country’s atomic organization, Mohammad Eslami, on Sunday.
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It will be Grossi’s first visit to the country since new president Ebrahim Raisi took office. Gharibabadi said the two sides will issue a joint statement after the meeting.
Talks between Iran and world powers over limiting Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief have been idle since June, and Raisi took office in August.
Earlier this month, the IAEA in a report said that Iran has continued to increase its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. It also said that verification and monitoring activities have been “seriously undermined” since February, after Iran refused to let inspectors access IAEA monitoring equipment.
In response, Iran said its nuclear activities had been “carried out in the framework of Iran’s nuclear rights and under nonproliferation treaty.”
The two major issues being negotiated are the rollback of American sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump’s administration after it withdrew from the deal, and the return of Iran to compliance with restrictions imposed on its nuclear program.
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This story has been updated to corrects the name of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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