Khaberni - Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, told members of the U.S. Congress during a confidential briefing on Thursday that Iran will invite the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites and will begin the work of identifying and revealing sites of enriched materials in Tehran.
Two informed sources relayed the contents of this briefing to The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity. A Wall Street Journal reporter also anticipated a meeting today, Friday, between the Head of the International Agency and the Iranian delegation in the Austrian capital, Vienna.
Side message
Witkoff informed leaderships in Congress and members of national security-related committees that the memorandum of understanding the United States concluded with Iran contained no side agreements, but a side message was crafted between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency that includes the invitation to the Agency.
The two sources stated that Witkoff revealed during the briefing the existence of the message and the invitation addressed to Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which allows him to bring American nuclear inspectors into Tehran.
Moreover, the Director-General of the International Agency, said yesterday, Thursday, that the Agency will participate in talks for a final agreement between the United States and Iran regarding the Iranian nuclear program, adding that issues to be settled include the sites planned for the inspectors of the International Agency to visit and inspect.
Talks in Switzerland
Grossi said at a press conference that there is still work to be done, and more talks are scheduled to begin in Switzerland today, Friday, following the signing of the initial framework agreement.
He added in his statements that the time has now come to initiate other specific steps with American and Iranian representatives. He refrained from discussing more details before those technical negotiations.
Paragraph eight of the memorandum of understanding states Iran's commitment not to seek the possession or development of nuclear weapons.
The United States and Iran agreed to settle the matter of the fate of stored enriched materials according to a mechanism agreed upon between the two parties, according to the timeline mentioned in paragraph seven, intending to dilute their concentration on-site under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other agreed-upon matters related to Tehran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework to be agreed upon in the final deal.
