International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials in the Iranian capital. Tehran Thursday, seeking a framework that would allow the nation to continue its nuclear program without expanding its military capabilities.

Pezeshkian told Grossi he was willing to address “ambiguities and doubts” about whether its nuclear technology complied with international safeguards.

It may be the Islamic Republic’s last chance to reach a deal before President-elect Donald Trump takes back the White House and reinstates crippling sanctions put in place during his first term.

“As we have repeatedly proven our goodwill, we announce our readiness to cooperate and converge with this international organization to resolve the so-called ambiguities and doubts about the peaceful nuclear activity of our country,” Pezeshkian said of the talks with Grossi.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also spoke with the The United Nations’The nuclear chief, promising to “continue our full cooperation with the IAEA” by joining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

“Disputes can be resolved through cooperation and dialogue,” Araghchi said on social media after the meeting. “We agreed to proceed with courage and good will. Iran has never left the negotiating table on its peaceful nuclear program. »

Pezeshkian and Araghchi avoided explicitly expressing concerns about the pressure the United States is likely to exert over the next four years – a stance the country has maintained since the presidential election results.

“For us, it doesn’t matter who won the US elections, because our country and our system depend on their internal strength,” Pezeshkian said a week ago, according to the state-affiliated media outlet. IRNA.

The foreign minister said on Thursday that “the ball is in the court of the EU/E3”, referring to the “three EU” diplomatic alliance made up of France, Germany and the United Kingdom .

These countries, joined by the United States, China and Russia, led the negotiations that ultimately led to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.

The deal lifts sanctions on Iran in exchange for assurances that its nuclear program will remain exclusively aimed at peaceful energy production and will not seek to enrich uranium to levels needed for energy production . nuclear weapons.

Trump withdrew from the Iran deal during his first term, calling it “one of the worst, most one-sided deals the United States has ever made.”

The administration has accused Iran of acting in bad faith, exploiting the deal’s financial benefits without seriously working to reduce its nuclear capabilities.

Trump then reimposed severe sanctions on Iran, aimed at “cutting off the revenue the regime uses to fund terrorist groups, foment global instability, finance nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and enrich its leaders” – a policy shift called a “pressure” campaign maximum”.

The move prompted an immediate reversal from the regime, which continued to enrich uranium to levels close to weapons production, according to international watchdogs.

As Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, political experts say he will likely restart the maximum pressure campaign, a move that could significantly weaken Iranian diplomacy and economic power.

Araghchi warned Thursday that Iran is “willing to negotiate based on our national interest and our inalienable rights, but NOT willing to negotiate under pressure and intimidation.”

Grossi is expected to visit uranium enrichment facilities on Friday to get a “full picture” of Iran’s nuclear progress.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“Tomorrow will this time be a very important step in my visit since I will visit important installations in Fordo and Natanz, which will also help me to have a complete vision of the evolution of the program,” declared the nuclear official. . said at a press conference, according to Agence France-Presse.

Grossi warned that escalating tensions between Iran and Western countries were quickly closing the window for a mutually acceptable deal.