VIENNA (AP) — The head of the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said Wednesday that “the jury is still out” on negotiations between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, but described the continuing negotiations a good sign.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the comment to journalists attending a weeklong seminar at the agency in Vienna.
Grossi acknowledged one of his deputies was in Tehran on Wednesday. Iranian officials identified the official as Massimo Aparo, the head of the IAEA’s safeguards arm.
“For the moment, the jury is still out,” Grossi said. “The fact that they continue to meet … that is an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement.”
The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic, closing in on a half-century of enmity.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program, if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
Before Grossi’s comments to journalists in Vienna, the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a new warning to the U.S. as the negotiations go on.
“Our fingers on the trigger, we are in ambush and we are waiting,” Gen. Hossein Salami warned. “If they make a mistake, they will immediately receive responses that will make them completely forget their past.”
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Nasser Karimi and Amir Vahdat contributed to this report from Tehran, Iran.
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Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/
Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
