Iran Politicians, Commentators Unhappy About Grossi's Visit

Pressed by a reporter to say how his latest trip to Tehran was different from all his other previous visits that failed to resolve outstanding issues, Grossi said “there were many differences,” emphasizing that he had a chance to point out the unresolved issues with the Iranian side.

The director general of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) also added that he had a “very substantive” discussion with Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. He emphasized that “talking to the decision makers” in politics “makes a big difference.”

Although Grossi highlighted his meetings with Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian, the main decision maker is the country’s ruler Ali Khamenei who controls foreign and military polices.

Grossi argued that in all areas of IAEA interaction with the Islamic Republic there was “substantive” progress. In case of the Fordow uranium enrichment facility “there will be inspection almost every other day,” he said.

In February, news emerged that the IAEA had found uranium particles at Fordow that were enriched to 84 percent – much higher than Iran’s 60-percent enrichment since 2021 – and close to weapons-grade uranium of 90-percent purity.

He also claimed that there were agreements on more monitoring mechanisms, which can mean more instruments placed in nuclear sites.

However, Iranian officials and government websites have since denied any increased surveillance except a marginal increase of monitoring at Fordow. They have categorically denied that they agreed with Grossi to allow more cameras to be placed in Iranian nuclear installations.

Asked about these statements Grossi said he is not dismayed because he pays attention to what officials have promised him and watches their actions, emphasizing that “this is a new phase.”

“I believe there is a good opportunity,” the IAEA director said, adding that “I cannot guarantee…when people say these were promises, it is not just promises, we do have certain agreements.”

What was also revealing was Grossi’s statement that “I have to do my job and I continue, and I might have been frustrated as many other people…when there are no results… but this was a step in the right direction.”

What some journalists and critics say is that Iran might have gone a bit further this time to offer cooperation, but Grossi’s trip took place just days before the IAEA Board meeting, which leaves no time to test Tehran’s sincerity before the issue comes up in the meeting.

The Board has already censured Iran in its previous meetings for lack of cooperation with the IAEA, and with the revelation of 84-percent enrichment, the ground was set to issue another rebuke. With Grossi traveling to Tehran right before the meeting and returning with hopes of Iranian cooperation, the Board will have less reason this week to censure the Islamic Republic, although there is no real evidence that it will cooperate fully with the Agency.

Grossi admitted that he cannot even set a timetable for resolving issues with Iran. He told a reporter, who asked if he expected progress by the next Board meeting in June, that “these things take time.”

Regrading the chances to resume JCPOA talks between Iran and the West, Grossi said he is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, as this issue is beyond IAEA’s responsibilities. All he can hope is that his agency does its job to the fullest.

Talks that began in Vienna in April 2021 to revive the 2015 nuclear accord reached a deadlock last September. Since then, the United States has been saying that is not focused on the JCPOA talks, but is concerned about Tehran’s repression against domestic protests and supplying weapons to Russia.

The Constitutional Court of Belgium on Friday rejected a request to annul a prisoner exchange treaty with the Islamic Republic signed last year that can lead to the release of an Iranian diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, convicted of terrorism, for Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, held hostage in Iran.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday that the ground is ready to execute the prisoner exchange pact.

"With the recent development, we hope to see an opening in connection with the case of this diplomat," added Nasser Kanaani.

However, the Belgian Supreme Court said in its ruling that plaintiffs can appeal to lower courts to block Assadi’s repatriation to Iran.

Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested on a visit to Iran in February 2022 and sentenced in January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying.

Brussels gave a 20-year jail term to Assadi in 2021 over a foiled bomb plot in the first trial of an Iranian official for suspected terrorism in Europe since Iran's 1979 revolution.

Under a treaty Belgium and Iran signed in 2022, Vandecasteele would have been eligible to be swapped for Assadi but in December Belgium’s constitutional court suspended the implementation of the treaty until it could make a ruling.

Some Belgian lawmakers voiced concern that the prisoner exchange treaty might lead to "hostage diplomacy" and put other Belgians at risk of detention.

"Authorities should seriously pursue the issue of students' poisoning. This is an unforgivable crime... the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media.

The first incidents of chemical attacks on girls’ schools began in November, but officials first ignored the incidents until they began to spread to several cities in February. Khamenei had so far remained silent while other officials were blaming foreign enemies and regime opponents without showing any proof.

Over a thousand Iranian girls in different schools have suffered "mild poison" attacks since November, according to state media and officials, with some politicians suggesting they could have been targeted by religious groups opposed to girls' education.

However, citizens and critics on social media ask why the government has failed to arrest the perpetrators of such a large and coordinated campaign, while it was efficient in killing and detaining antigovernment protesters.

Other say the hardliner establishment is behind the attacks to take revenge from schoolgirls who joined the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in October and November.

The spreading attacks that started in the holy Shi'ite Muslim city of Qom in central Iran have spread to at least 25 of Iran's 31 provinces, prompting some parents to take their children out of school and hold protests against the establishment.

IRNA published what it called “an infographic”Monday morning local time that included six short sentences each ‘debunking’ what it said were “six false claims about Iran and IAEA agreements after Rafael Grossi’s trip.”

Some of the six points, presented as responses by Iran’s nuclear agency, directly rejected statements by Grossi after his return to Vienna Saturday evening.

Iran is supposed to provide access to information, locations and people, Grossi told a news conference at Vienna airport soon after landing, suggesting a vast improvement after years of Iranian stonewalling.

The first three “lies” Iran’s nuclear agency refutes is about more inspections of nuclear installation that Iran has substantially reduced since early 2021 after its parliament passed a law restricting cooperation with the IAEA and mandating higher levels of enrichment.

First point in red fonts showed, “Individuals will be permitted to have access to Iran’s nuclear installation,” as one of the alleged fallacies. A sentence following this statement says, response by the Iran’s nuclear energy agency: “Access by individuals was never raised [in talks with Grossi] and no text was written about this.

The second point refutes Grossi’s statement that new monitoring cameras will be installed: “There was no discussion or agreement over installing cameras.”

The third point in the “infographic” rejects Grossi’s statement that there will be a 50-percent increase in monitoring. It says that the only increase will be in Fordow uranium enrichment site where “inspections will increase from 8 to 11.”

The fourth point pertains to a long-running dispute with the IAEA over traces of uranium found in three sites used for secret nuclear activities prior to 2003. The UN nuclear watchdog is demanding a full explanation and so far the Islamic Republic has not provided it.

The fourth point rejects the claim that the IAEA will have access to the three sites, saying that the Agency once inspected these locations and has not requested another round of access.

Immediately after Grossi’s departure from Tehran, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi had already denied giving access to individuals.

"During the two days that Mr. Grossi was in Iran, the issue of access to individuals was never raised," Kamalvandi told state news agency IRNA, adding there also has been no deal regarding putting new cameras in Iran's nuclear facilities.

On Sunday, Nour News, a website affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council rejected giving new access to the IAEA to inspect the three disputed sites.

IRNA’s publication of the infographic is yet another attempt to downplay the notion that the IAEA will be given more monitoring access to nuclear sites.

The IAEA and Iran had issued a joint statement at the end of Grossi’s trip, just two days before a quarterly meeting of IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors.

The statement went into little detail but the possibility of a marked improvement in relations between the two is likely to stave off a Western push for another resolution ordering Iran to cooperate, diplomats said. Iran has, however, made similar promises before that have yielded little or nothing.

Tens of Iranians gathered for the rally on Saturday in front of Malley’s office calling on the Biden administration for his dismissal.
Malley has been under fire for his soft approach in dealing with the Iranian regime in the past months and is one of those blamed for the breakdown in nuclear talks last year.

Back in October, he stated in a tweet that Iranians were protesting to have the Islamic Republic “respect their human rights and dignity,” a statement Iranians refuted, claiming he undermined the wider message that Iranians want a new, democratic government and not respect from an oppressive regime.

Iranians feel Malley is out of touch with the needs of Iranians and do not trust his hand in taking the nuclear talks to the next level. "He underestimates the levels the regime will go to," said one protester who asked not to be named. "He has no idea what living under this oppression is like."

Protesters plan to hold weekly events outside the State Department to demand Malley's dismissal.

Another participant told Iran International that such events show the helplessness Iranians in the diaspora feel, unable to express their anger with the regime and its brutal crackdown on innocent civilians exercising their right to protest.

After his tweet in October, New-York based activist Masih Alinejad, demanded Malley resign. “By continually misrepresenting Iranian’s rejection of Islamic Republic, he is hurting the US administration standing among the people of Iran.,” Alinejad said.

In response to the criticism, Malley told Iran International at the time: “Neither I nor the US government can claim to speak for protesters. Only they can do that, and I’d never intend to imply otherwise.”