September 23, 2023

Raisi reiterated Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, pointing to its use in agriculture, oil and gas infrastructure, and saying “we have enrichment to satisfy those needs.” He said reports that Iran has increased its enrichment levels “are not based in fact.”

The IAEA director general told the AP on Monday that he asked to meet Raisi on the sidelines of this week’s annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, which both were attending, to try to reverse Tehran’s ban on “a very sizable chunk” of the agency’s nuclear inspectors.

When asked whether he had met Grossi, Raisi responded that he had talked to him in Tehran, in early March — not this week, adding that Iran has had “very good cooperation” with the IAEA.

As for denying future entry to many of the most experienced nuclear inspectors, Raisi said the government was only taking aim at individuals “who may undertake actions aimed at undermining the level of trust” Iran has in them — “not inspections themselves.”
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