GENEVA — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with the head of the UN nuclear watchdog in Geneva on Monday ahead of the next round of indirect nuclear talks with the United States.Writing on X following the meeting, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said he had “in-depth technical discussions” with the top Iranian diplomat “in preparation for important negotiations scheduled for tomorrow in Geneva.”The Iranian side had not issued an official statement on the content of the discussions at the time of publishing this report.Sources, however, said that the talks focused on the continued Iran-IAEA cooperation, enrichment program and the fate of the 400kg enriched uranium.The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that with the meeting between Araghchi and Grossi, the “process of nuclear talks” has officially resumed after the first round earlier this month.In this round of talks, economic, legal, and technical experts are accompanying the Iranian delegation, the agency said, indicating that Iran’s approach is “results-oriented.”Earlier on Monday, Araghchi said he would meet Grossi “for deep technical discussion, which will be followed by a meeting with his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi.“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” he posted on X.Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in an interview with the state-run news agency IRNA on Monday that the negotiations would proceed “within frameworks set by higher authorities,” referring to the Supreme National Security Council.He said the negotiations, which began on Feb. 6, are progressing within “a fully purposeful and unified framework,” and that a “unified decision” on how to advance the talks has been reached between the Foreign Ministry and the top security body.“We are negotiating under conditions of complete suspicion and distrust. We have prior experiences, and we are not allowed under any circumstances to let these experiences escape our attention, even for a moment,” he said.On Araghchi’s meeting with Grossi, Baghaei emphasized that the UN nuclear agency plays an “important role” in these negotiations.“We are members of the IAEA, our permanent mission in Vienna is active, and we maintain engagement. As long as we remain parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, we must fulfill our obligations. The safeguards agreement clarifies our responsibilities. Even recently, inspections have been carried out at facilities that have not been damaged,” he said.Iran and the US resumed their indirect nuclear diplomacy in Muscat on Feb. 6 under Omani mediation, nearly eight months after talks were suspended following an Israeli attack on Iran that sparked a 12-day war.Iran has urged the US to assess its interests in the talks independently of Israeli influence.In a recent interview with Al Jazeera news channel, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the negotiation process is continuing and that regional countries are also making efforts to help the talks succeed.Larijani stressed that Iran is prepared for any potential threats and accused Israel of attempting to interfere in the negotiations and destabilize the region.“Our negotiations are exclusively with the United States. We are not engaged in any talks with Israel,” he said. “However, Israel has inserted itself into this process, with their intent on undermining and sabotaging these negotiations.”He emphasized that Iran remains open to cooperation in the negotiations and continues to support talks, noting there was common ground between Tehran and Washington on Iran not possessing nuclear weapons, which it insists it is not pursuing. — Agencies
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