IRAN: IAEA Chief-Optimistic Inspectors Will Return This Year

Reuters reports comments from the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi. Says that "Iran has indicated it will be ready to restart some conversations at a technical level...Iran has a number of [nuclear] facilities and has to be transparent about them....[the IAEA] needs to re-engage in a normal relationship with Iran; Non-Proliferation Treaty rules indicate that [Iran] needs to be inspected."

• Grossi: "Initial talks with Iran will not immediately include inspectors yet, [but we are] optimistic that inspectors will return to Iran this year."
• Says that there is "No further information from Iran on enriched uranium" at this time.
• Grossi's comments come as talks are underway between Iran and the E3 (France, Germany, UK), the European signatories to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
• Ahead of the talks, FM spox Esmail Baghaei said that the E3 countries had "given up" their right to impose 'snapback' sanctions on Iran for violating the JCPoA, as those countries in turn have violated the agreement.  
• The UN resolution overseeing the JCPoA expires on 18 October, with the E3 nations having set a deadline of end-August to reach an agreement with Tehran, or else they will begin the 30-day process of imposing the sanctions.
• Iran has previously warned that snapback sanctions could see them withdraw from nuclear non-proliferation agreements, risking a further escalation in geopolitical tensions.