Iran agrees to outside inspection of two of its nuclear sites

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran agreed on Wednesday to grant international nuclear inspectors access to two suspected sites, in a rare conciliatory move that came after months of increasing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

The issue was settled in talks between International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi and Iranian leaders in Tehran.

The outcome of the negotiations was “very, very important” in terms of peace and security, Grossi told reporters after landing at the Vienna airport.

Dates for the inspections have been set, Grossi and Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said in a joint statement. “It is very, very soon,” he said about the timing of the visits, without revealing the exact dates.

In exchange, the IAEA stated that it would pursue no further questions regarding this issue and no access to additional sites at this time.

However, Grossi did not rule out additional future requests. “If we have information that warrants asking questions and, if necessary, for access, we will,” he said.

“The agreement was a step in the right direction to solve our differences,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a statement after meeting Grossi, adding that his country was ready to intensify its cooperation with the IAEA.

For the past year, the Vienna-based IAEA had been asking questions about the sites in Tehran and Isfahan, where it suspects Iran had kept nuclear material that is now unaccounted for.

Since then, the agency says it has not received satisfactory answers, and its nuclear inspectors were denied entry, raising concern among major powers including the United States, which highlighted this issue to argue that Tehran cannot be trusted.

According to the IAEA, satellite images indicate that these sites have been cleaned and traces of previous activity removed.

Iranian diplomats had previously argued that the IAEA would not get access based on baseless accusations, which they said were fabricated by Israel.

The IAEA has acknowledged receiving information from foreign governments, but Grossi has repeatedly stressed that such information is never taken at face value but is thoroughly vetted in Vienna.