Funeral events in Iran affect talks with IAEA

The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash has delayed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) talks, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Reuters.

"They are in a mourning period which I need to respect. But once this is over, we are going to be engaging again. It is a temporary interruption that I hope will be over in a matter of days," Grossi said.

The IAEA director general visited Iran on May 6-7. He held meetings with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami and Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, head of Iran’s delegation to the nuclear deal negotiations.

During talks, Grossi proposed a set of practical measures to implement the joint Iran-IAEA statement dated March 4, 2023, which points to Tehran’s intention to allow the agency to carry out monitoring activities and provide it with access to three nuclear facilities.