Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, posted on X on September 16 that he will soon visit Tehran for political and technical meetings.

He made the remarks following his meeting with the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, on the sidelines of the 68th annual session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna. Grossi said he agreed with Iran's top nuclear chief to maintain their engagement, a point which he has made previously.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, he also said that he looks forward to communicating with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in order to "provide reassurance to the international community about the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program."

As a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran is obliged to comply with the Agency's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA). However, the IAEA has raised safeguards issues relating to uranium traces detected in four undeclared sites in Iran.

Iran has addressed questions regarding two of the locations so far, but the other two are still outstanding. The Agency has repeatedly called on Tehran to cooperate to resolve the ambiguities under an agreement reached on March 4.

Grossi said in his introductory remarks on September 9 that there has been no progress in the past 15 months towards implementing that joint statement.

Moreover, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activity and further IAEA monitoring and verification under a 2015 deal with the world powers in return for the lifting of international sanctions. However, it has been breaching those obligations since the United States pulled out of the accord and reimposed tough sanctions.

During the meeting with Grossi, Iran's nuclear chief informed Grossi that Iran is seriously pursuing the development of its nuclear industry, which he said is "within the framework of the IAEA and of course supported by it."

"It was also decided in this meeting that, regarding the nuclear issues raised within the framework of the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)], we will continue constructive dialogue through strategic planning and ongoing visits, so as to safeguard Iran's interests and address any remaining issues," he said.

He told reporters that the discussions with Grossi were "good" and the meeting was "a step forward".

"The key message of this session is that the world should understand that Iran's relationship with the Agency remains stable and will not be affected by psychological pressure or alarmism. We will continue to follow the process in a way that safeguards Iran's interests," he said.

The 68th annual session of the IAEA General Conference began on September 16 and will last until September 20.

Eslami left for Vienna on September 14 at the head of a delegation to participate the session and will hold meetings on its side-lines.

He has already met Grossi and Alexey Likhachev, the head of the Russian state company ROSATOM, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway.