Iran, UN nuclear watchdog agree to cooperate based on inspection deal

TEHRAN, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday (IAEA) agreed to push forward a joint statement released in March of 2023, which sought to allow greater inspection of Tehran's nuclear program. Hailing the deal struck last year as a "solid foundation" for greater cooperation, Iranian nuclear program chief Mohammad Eslami told a press conference alongside IAEA head Rafael Grossi, that the two held talks to examine the progress of the statement, underlining the aim of pushing forward the "path" set by the deal. The Iranian official warned of "hostile actions" against Tehran, saying he hoped such behavior does not "affect the interactions between Iran and the agency," he said, while lashing out at the "Zionist regime" for its "manipulations." On the talks he held with his Iranian counterpart, the IAEA chief said the meeting was significant in the sense that it could lead to "concreate measures" to make the aforementioned deal "operational" in a bid to reach its objectives. While the fresh ta lks did not yield a new deal, the IAEA chief said that the joint statement released in March of 2023 should serve as a "path forward" for more bilateral cooperation. Source: Kuwait News Agency