UN nuclear chief's visit to Tehran no link to US push to impose sanctions

Iran said Sunday that an upcoming visit this week by the head of the UN's atomic watchdog agency to Tehran has nothing to do with a US push to impose so-called snapback sanctions on Iran.

The Trump administration last week dismissed near-universal opposition to its demand to restore all UN sanctions on Iran, declaring that a 30-day countdown for the snapback of penalties eased under the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers had begun.

US allies and foes have joined forces to declare the action illegal and doomed to failure. The US argues that Iran has violated the restrictions imposed on its nuclear programme under the 2015 deal, a charge Tehran has dismissed.

Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted on Sunday Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA, Kazem Gharibadadi, as saying that the visit this week is neither related to the snapback mechanism nor the US demand.

Gharibabadi said the visit by the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi comes within the framework of Iran's invitation.

We do not allow others to manage Iran," he said, adding that Iran's trust in the IAEA has been damaged in recent months." He expressed hope Grossi's visit will lead to building trust.

It is important to assure Tehran that the agency will move based on impartiality, independence and professionalism, said Gharibabadi.

The IAEA said on Saturday that Grossi will head to Tehran to press Iranian authorities for access to sites where the country is thought to have stored or used undeclared nuclear material. Gharibabadi said Grossi was due to meet with Iranian officials on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

The landmark 2015 nuclear deal was endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution and includes the snapback provision. President Donald Trump pulled America out of the accord in 2018 and imposed severe US sanctions on Iran.