Iran: IAEA chief to visit Tehran soon

He said Grossi is in close contact with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the Iranian embassy staff in Vienna and that the Islamic Republic has proposed a date for his visit. 

During his weekly presser on Monday, Khatibzadeh also said the IAEA director general will hold talks with AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. 

Asked about Iran’s advisory role in Syria, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said the media hype by the Zionist regime and also some countries about the matter is not new. 

Khatibzadeh said Iran and Syria have deep, strategic ties and that the commander of the Iranian advisory contingent in Syria was decorated after he successfully completed his mission there. 

The said rumors that Iran and Syria are divided over the commander’s presence in the Arab country are not worthy of attention. 

Khatibzadeh also touched on the upcoming Vienna talks. He said Iran will focus on the removal of the US’s illegal bans in the negotiations and “what matters for us is the lifting of those sanctions”. 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also referred to a German official’s statement that the Vienna talks must restart from where they halted inconclusively. He said what’s important for Iran is how the parties to the negotiations will reach a good agreement.

He added that Iran is closely monitoring US President Joe Biden’s behavior and it will accordingly further the Vienna talks. 

Khatibzadeh pointed out that Iran seeks a good deal in Vienna and that the US must change its approach toward Iran to reassure Tehran. 

Khatibzadeh referred to Biden’s recent memo in which he said to US officials that there were sufficient supplies of petroleum to allow a “significant reduction” in the amount purchased from Iran. He said what matters for Iran are the realities on the ground and that what Biden said shows how interconnected the entire world is and no country can be removed from the market. 

He said the US tried hard to eliminate Iran from the global markets but has been less successful day by the day, thanks to Iranian youth who are working diligently and creatively.