UN atomic agency head to visit Iran as nuke talks uncertain

MATTHEW LEE
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, left, speaks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department in Washington, ahead of a meeting. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via AP)

The head of the U.N.'s atomic watchdog plans to visit Iran before the end of next month amid questions about whether Iran will return to negotiations aimed at reviving the languishing 2015 nuclear deal. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said Tuesday he intends to visit Tehran “soon” to discuss and hopefully resolve specific concerns about Iran's nuclear program. Iran is in violation of several aspects of the 2015 deal that the IAEA is charged with monitoring and has suspended some elements of other cooperation with the watchdog.