The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will make his first trip to Tehran as head of the UN's nuclear watchdog on Monday, in an attempt to put pressure on Iran to allow inspectors to visit two key sites, he announced on Saturday.

The IAEA board passed a resolution in June to amp up the pressure on the country with regards to suspicions over two sites that are suspected of potentially still containing undeclared nuclear material.

'Outstanding questions'

Grossi declared the objective of the trip is "that my meetings in Tehran will lead to concrete progress in addressing the outstanding questions that the Agency has related to safeguards in Iran and, in particular, to resolve the issue of access."

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Iran's permanent mission to the UN in Vienna, on behalf of the Iranian ambassador, Kazem Ghaibabadi, also announced its invitation to Grossi on Twitter, stating its cooperation with the IAEA.

Hopeful for a resolution

Grossi, who was named Director-General of the IAEA in December 2019, laid out in his statement that he would be meeting "high-level Iranian authorities," although he did not provide any names.

Diplomats working in Vienna are hopeful that the standoff over access to the two sites can be resolved by September when the IAEA Board of Governors will next meet.

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ab/shs (Reuters, AP)