Germany urges Iran to show ‘political will’ for ending impasse over nuclear probe

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Monday called on Iran to show a “political will” aimed at resolving the standoff over a nuclear probe, following the arrival of a UN nuclear watchdog delegation in Tehran as part of its inquiry into undeclared uranium particles found in Iran.

“Iran must now come up with technically plausible answers, which now requires the political will,” Franciska Obermeyer, a deputy Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told journalists in Berlin.

“It is high time that the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and Iran continue their dialogue on these questions,” she added.

However, Obermeyer stressed that she could not predict whether these talks would actually yield any results.

An IAEA technical team arrived in Tehran on Sunday following an invitation by Iran, according to an IAEA spokeswoman.

The visit is aimed at "addressing the outstanding safeguards issues previously reported," she added.

The Vienna-based UN nuclear agency has for years been calling on Iran to explain the presence of undeclared man-made uranium found at three sites, requesting "access to locations and material" as well as the collection of samples.

In the absence of progress, the IAEA said it could not guarantee the authenticity and integrity of Iran's nuclear program.

Tehran has repeatedly claimed traces of enriched uranium found in Iran were brought into the country from abroad.

Meanwhile, Obermeyer stressed again that negotiations between Iran and the six world powers – US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany – to revive the 2015 nuclear deal are not planned for now.

There are “currently no starting points” to resume such talks, she added.

The US and its western allies argue the talks were “stalled” because Tehran was “making demands that have nothing to do with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

The JCPOA does refer to the Iran nuclear agreement which was scrapped by then-American President Donald Trump in 2018.