There is a chance to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program through diplomacy, but those chances are "limited", said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi.
"There is still a chance for diplomacy, even if that chance is not great, the chance is limited," Aragchi said on state television after a visit to Iran by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, who on Friday visited two important nuclear facilities in Iran.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian wants to clear up "doubts and ambiguities" about his country's nuclear program, and a visit by the head of the United Nations nuclear agency is seen as one of the last opportunities for diplomacy before Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
The Iranian nuclear issue "in the coming year will be sensitive and complex, but we are ready to face all scenarios," Aragchi said.
Iran and major powers, including the US, reached an agreement in 2015 that provided for the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran in exchange for guarantees that it would not seek to develop atomic weapons. But in 2018, then-President Donald Trump withdrew the USA from that agreement and, as part of the policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, re-introduced heavy sanctions on that country.
In response, Iran sharply limited foreign inspections of its nuclear facilities and greatly increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to 60 percent, while under the 2015 agreement Iran's uranium enrichment level should not exceed just 3,65 percent.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, uranium enrichment to close to 90 percent is required for atomic weapons. However, according to the archives of the US President Barack Obama's administration, in 2016 it was calculated that Iran has enough uranium for eight to ten nuclear bombs.
Uranium enriched to five percent is used in nuclear power plants to produce electricity, and enriched to 20 percent for medical and scientific purposes.
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