TEHRAN – Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will pay a visit to Iran next week to discuss “technical” issues, Iran said on Wednesday.

“IAEA DG travels to Tehran on Saturday for technical discussions with the Atomic Energy Organization on how to continue cooperation in the light of new arrangements and development. As already announced, art. 6 of the new law will be implemented as of Feb 23,” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, said in a tweet on Wednesday

Gharibabadi was referring to an Iranian nuclear law that will go into effect next week.

The law, which was passed by the Iranian Parliament some two months ago, includes other things as well.

The nuclear law, officially called “Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Nation’s Rights,” stipulates that the Iranian government should take certain nuclear measures such as raising the level of uranium enrichment to 20% and suspending the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol in few months if the Western parties failed to honor their obligations under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The sixth article of the law clearly stipulates that if the remaining parties to the JCPOA – Germany, France, China, Russia and the UK- failed to facilitate Iran’s oil exports and the return of Iranian oil revenues in two months, the Iranian government would be obligated to stop inspections beyond the IAEA safeguards, including the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, which allows unannounced and intensive inspections of nuclear sites.

Iran resumed nuclear enrichment to 20 percent on January 4.

On Monday, Gharibabadi said Iran will implement the nuclear law obliging the government to halt implementing the Additional Protocol on February 23.

“Act of Parliament will be executed on time (23 Feb) and the IAEA has been informed today to ensure the smooth transition to a new course in due time. After all, goodwill brings about goodwill!” Ambassador Gharibabadi said in a tweet.

EE/PA