IAEA Pressures Iran as Fate of Talks on Nuclear Deal Hangs in Balance

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria May 23, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria May 23, 2021. (Reuters)
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IAEA Pressures Iran as Fate of Talks on Nuclear Deal Hangs in Balance

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria May 23, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria May 23, 2021. (Reuters)

The UN atomic watchdog chided Iran on Tuesday for failing to answer questions including on uranium traces found at three undeclared sites, which could complicate the resumption of talks to revive Iran's nuclear deal.

Former President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal, under which Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, and Tehran has responded by violating many of those restrictions.

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran on both countries returning to compliance have stopped while Iran's new, hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has taken office. France and Germany have called on Iran to return soon and Raisi has said Tehran is prepared to but not under Western "pressure".

Tuesday's comments from the International Atomic Energy Agency calling out Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found last year and in 2019 at old but undeclared sites could make that diplomacy more difficult.

The IAEA is charged with monitoring Iran's nuclear program including compliance with the deal. Washington and its European allies must now decide whether to push for a resolution criticizing Iran at next week's meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors.

A resolution would add to the pressure on Tehran to provide answers that could help the IAEA account for nuclear material that once was at these sites. It could, however, also make resuming the talks on the 2015 nuclear deal harder, since Tehran has previously bristled at such moves.

"The Director General is increasingly concerned that even after some two years the safeguards issues outlined above in relation to the four locations in Iran not declared to the Agency remain unresolved," the IAEA said in one of two quarterly reports on Iran.

The confidential reports by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to member states, issued ahead of next week's meeting of its 35-nation Board of Governors, were reviewed by Reuters. The second report said Iran must resolve outstanding issues relating to the sites, which include questions about a fourth location the IAEA has not inspected, "without further delay".



Macron to Rekindle Relationship with Francophile King Charles on UK Visit

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Macron to Rekindle Relationship with Francophile King Charles on UK Visit

French-speaking King Charles III, who is hosting President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit starting on Tuesday, professes a long-standing love of France, describing it as "an essential part" of his life.

The visit, at the invitation of the monarch, is a rare privilege full of spectacular pomp and circumstance and an opportunity to strengthen a bilateral relationship which the king called "indispensable" during his visit to France in September 2023.

That visit, hailed as a symbol of "cordial detente" after Brexit, demonstrated a closeness between the two heads of state on issues such as Ukraine, but also on a personal level, reported AFP.

"If you see their body language, and this was particularly noticeable during the state visit... it does seem that they get on tremendously well," said monarchy expert Richard Fitzwilliams.

Macron touched the monarch on the shoulder several times during the visit, a casual gesture unthinkable in the time of Elizabeth II, but the king took no offence.

Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla, who share a love of literature, exchange kisses whenever they meet, even though official protocol dictates a curtsy.

As well as Ukraine, the two men also share common ground on topics such as the environment.

"Inspired and encouraged by my grandmother's and my late mother's example, France has been an essential part of the fabric of my own life for as long as I can remember," Charles declared before the French Senate in September 2023, in a speech delivered largely in French, which earned him a standing ovation.

Like his mother, Elizabeth II, who often visited France and met every French president from Vincent Auriol to Macron, Charles III learned French from childhood. He reads it fluently, and speaks it with a hint of an accent.

La vie en rose

He has made more than 35 official visits to France since the 1970s, and according to him, Edith Piaf's "La Vie en rose" remains one of his favorite songs.

Macron is the first European leader to be invited for a state visit since Charles III assumed the throne.

The king's first state visit abroad was originally scheduled to also take place in France, in March 2023, but was postponed due to social unrest.

The French couple's state visit will take place at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is undergoing renovations, and will follow the standard schedule.

There are on average two of these visits per year, and preparation for them generally takes around a year.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will greet the French presidential couple on landing and accompany them on the journey to Windsor, west of London, where they will be officially welcomed by the King and Queen.

They will join a carriage procession through the town, attend a military parade and take lunch with the royal family at the castle.

Macron and his wife will visit the Palace of Westminster in London on Tuesday, where the French president will address parliamentarians for a "very political" speech, according to the Elysee Palace.

The day will end with a state dinner, including speeches by the King and the French leader in front of some 150 guests.

On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron will lay flowers on the grave of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022, at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and will tour the gardens.

He will attend Thursday's Franco-British summit, the second since they resumed in 2023 after being suspended due to Brexit, before leaving with his wife later in the day.

US President Donald Trump has also been invited for a state visit this year and is expected in September, but no date has yet been officially announced.