UN nuclear chief underscores significance of Iran talks

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Tuesday stressed the urgency of reviving diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program, saying the situation could quickly deteriorate if negotiations fail.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said diplomatic efforts were "not at their best," but it was not his place to say whether the process was "dead or alive." However, according to him, progress is not impossible.

"I hope to be able to reset, restore, strengthen this necessary dialogue," he said during a discussion at the Chatham House think tank. “Without it, things will get worse.” Iran has begun rebuilding its nuclear stockpile after former US President Donald Trump abandoned the 2015 deal that curbed the Islamic Republic's atomic energy program.

Talks to renew the agreement ended in August, when Western countries presented the "final text" of a road map for progress, which Iran has not yet accepted.

Grossi warned last month that Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to produce "several" nuclear weapons if it chooses to do so. But diplomatic efforts to rein in the country's nuclear program appear more unlikely than ever as Tehran provides weapons for Russia's war in Ukraine and unrest roils the Islamic republic.

Grossi said the Middle East has a "unique set of problems" that will worsen if diplomatic efforts fail. "I don't see it being in anyone's interest to have proliferation there. I think we would be making an already fragile situation worse,” he said. "We're not there yet. But we can't afford to fail."