UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi visited two of Iran’s main nuclear sites on Friday, as Iran signaled it was ready to resume negotiations on its controversial program in a bid to ease sanctions .

Grossi visited the Natanz complex as well as the Fordow enrichment site, a fortified facility located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of the capital Tehran. At the end of this visit, Seyed Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s desire to engage in talks, declaring on X: “Iran has never left the negotiating table on its peaceful nuclear program.”

“The ball is in the court of the EU/E3. Ready to negotiate based on our national interest and our inalienable rights, but NOT ready to negotiate under pressure and intimidation,” Araghchi added. The commitment to peaceful negotiations was supported by President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, warned that any resolution by the IAEA Board of Governors criticizing Iran’s nuclear program would result in immediate retaliation. “We will not let pressure dictate the course of our peaceful nuclear activities,” Eslami said at a joint news conference with Grossi.

According to Iran International, Iranian state media reported the tour positively, demonstrating a change in tone after, just a year ago, Tehran banned nearly a third of the IAEA monitoring team , a decision that Grossi described at the time as a serious obstacle to surveillance.