IAEA Director General: US and Iran May Hold Talks in Pakistan

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that the United States and Iran may hold talks this weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. In an interview with The Evening Post, Grossi said that the issues to be addressed in the talks would include not only nuclear energy, but also missiles and Iran’s security assurances. Grossi noted that the United States is asking Iran to achieve “zero uranium enrichment,” while Iran is focusing on issues such as civilian nuclear programs and nuclear self-sufficiency. In his view, the two sides can reach common ground on these matters. He also said that Iran’s nuclear facilities were damaged in the event of a U.S.-Israeli military strike, “but not decisively.” On feasible options for resolving the current fighting, Grossi said the first step is to achieve peace—“military action is not a way to solve the problem.” In 2015, Iran reached a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany. Under the agreement, Iran limited its own nuclear activities in exchange for the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union lifting sanctions on Iran. However, in 2018, the Trump administration of the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and resumed and escalated unilateral sanctions against Iran. (Xinhua)