TEHRAN – After months of diplomatic inertia, dialogue between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog resumed this week in a development that could remove a major hurdle standing in the way of making a deal in Vienna.

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami arrived in Vienna on Sunday to participate in the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference of 2022. Eslami met with IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi on the next day to discuss the state of play between Iran and the Agency. 

After the meeting, Grossi announced the resumption of dialogue with Iran on a set of issues that have stymied the conclusion of the Vienna talks over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). “Dialogue has restarted with #Iran on clarification of outstanding safeguards issues,” the IAEA chief said on Twitter.
 
The IAEA and Iran have been at loggerheads over the last year due to a safeguards probe initiated by the UN nuclear watchdog. The probe is centered around allegations stemming from Israel, a fierce opponent of the JCPOA. Israel has presented the IAEA with “information” that is claimed to have been stolen from Iran. Based on this information, the IAEA insisted on visiting a number of sites inside Iran. After visiting these sites, the IAEA claimed that it found nuclear material.

Iran fully cooperated with the IAEA in this regard. But the IAEA still demands more cooperation, something that Iran considers unacceptable because the IAEA requests in this regard are all built on Israeli allegations.

In a speech delivered at the IAEA gathering, Eslami said the information submitted to the IAEA by Israel is incorrect. He strongly rejected all accusations, including those by the UN nuclear watchdog, about the existence of undeclared nuclear activities or material in Iran, saying they were merely based on “fake” and “incorrect” information provided by the “usurping regime of Israel,” according to Press TV.

“There are no undeclared nuclear activities or material in Iran. All accusations are merely based on fake and incorrect information provided by the usurping regime of Israel,” he said.

Eslami then said the Islamic Republic expects the IAEA to be professional, impartial and independent in its activities, including reporting, inspections and verification.

In addition, the differences between Iran and the IAEA have been one of the obstacles to concluding the Vienna talks. Iran said the IAEA probe is politically motivated and is not technical. Therefore, if it is to continue, a revived JCPOA will falter again. 

With Iran and the IAEA resuming dialogue anew, another opportunity is gathering steam to break the ice on the Vienna talks. This comes amid a clear American willingness to postpone the Vienna talks until after the U.S. mid-term elections due in November. 

The resumption of dialogue between Iran and the IAEA presents the West with yet another opportunity to deliver on their promises regarding the resuscitation of the JCPOA. So far, Iran has sought to present many initiatives to push the talks forward. The resumption of dialogue with the IAEA is one such initiative. Whether the West would seize this opportunity remains to be seen. But this may be the last window that’s still open for reviving the JCPOA.