Iran Dismisses Plan by UN Nuclear Watchdog Head to Visit Next Month 

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency speaks at the panel session during the second day of the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 13, 2024. (AFP)
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency speaks at the panel session during the second day of the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Iran Dismisses Plan by UN Nuclear Watchdog Head to Visit Next Month 

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency speaks at the panel session during the second day of the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 13, 2024. (AFP)
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency speaks at the panel session during the second day of the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 13, 2024. (AFP)

Iran's nuclear chief on Wednesday dismissed a suggestion that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi would visit Iran next month but instead invited Grossi to a conference in Tehran in May.

Grossi said this week Iran was continuing to enrich uranium well beyond the needs for commercial nuclear use and said he planned to visit Tehran next month to tackle "drifting apart" relations between the IAEA and the country.

But Mohammad Eslami said a visit next month was unlikely due to a "busy schedule" without giving further clarification. "Iran's interactions with the IAEA continue as normal and discussions are held to resolve ambiguities and develop cooperation," he said at a weekly press conference in Tehran.

Eslami said Grossi had been invited to attend Iran's first international nuclear energy conference in May.

Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Grossi said while the pace of uranium enrichment had slowed slightly since the end of last year, Iran was still enriching at an elevated rate of around 7 kg of uranium per month to 60% purity.

Enrichment to 60% brings uranium close to weapons grade, and is not necessary for commercial use in nuclear power production. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but no other state has enriched to that level without producing them.

Under a defunct 2015 agreement with world powers, Iran can enrich uranium only to 3.67%. After then-President Donald Trump pulled the US out of that deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran breached and moved well beyond the deal's nuclear restrictions.

The UN nuclear watchdog said the 2015 nuclear deal "is all but disintegrated."



Fresh Term for Türkiye's Erdogan ‘On Our Agenda’, Ruling Party Spokesman Says

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a plenary session at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a plenary session at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
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Fresh Term for Türkiye's Erdogan ‘On Our Agenda’, Ruling Party Spokesman Says

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a plenary session at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a plenary session at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Budapest, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)

Paving the way for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to run for a fourth term in office is "on our agenda", the spokesman for the president's ruling party said on Monday, adding that the important factor was whether the people wanted it.

Erdogan, modern Türkiye's longest-serving leader, has been in power for more than two decades, first as a premier and later as president. Under Türkiye's presidential term limits, he is in his final term of office unless there is a constitutional amendment or parliament calls an early election.

He was first elected president in 2014 under a parliamentary system, and was later re-elected in 2018 and 2023 following some constitutional amendments by his ruling AK Party (AKP) and their nationalist MHP allies to impose an executive presidency.

Asked by reporters about an exchange between a singer and Erdogan at the weekend in which Erdogan responded to a question about running for a new term by saying: "I am in if you are", AKP spokesman Omer Celik said the AKP was pleased that the issue had been brought on the agenda.

"As those of us who march with our President, it is on our agenda," he said at a press conference in Ankara. "We will see about a formula. In politics, one year is a very short time, one day is very long. What is important is that our people want it," he added.

"When we look at events transpiring around us, it is visible at every opportunity how important our president's knowledge and political will is for our country," he added. In November, MHP leader Devlet Bahceli floated the idea of a constitutional amendment to allow the president to run again in elections set for 2028.

A constitutional change can be put to a referendum if 360 lawmakers in the 600-seat parliament back it. An early election also needs the support of 360 MPs.

AKP and its allies have 321 seats.