‘War of words’ won’t stop Iran nuclear inspections, says IAEA

The international nuclear watchdog responsible for verifying Iran’s stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium dismissed the conflicting signals from Tehran and Washington overnight and said it expects to resume full monitoring at some stage.

“There’s a war of words here,” said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, referring to White House statements about monitoring that were disputed by Iran.

In Washington on Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to halt peace talks if Iran refused to allow IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites.

Around the same time, Iran’s foreign ministry said there were no immediate plans for visits by scientists from the United Nations organisation.

The back-and-forth comments underscore the challenges facing American and Iranian negotiators as they press towards a permanent peace deal.