Iran hopes UN nuclear watchdog will act ‘neutrally’ under new IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi

Tehran: Iran said Thursday it hopes the UN nuclear watchdog will act “neutrally” under its new head and vowed to maintain cooperation with its inspectors monitoring a landmark 2015 nuclear deal. Argentina’s Rafael Grossi took the helm of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday following the death of his predecessor, Yukiya Amano of Japan, in July. [caption id=“attachment_7580101” align=“alignleft” width=“379”] File image of Rafael Grossi. Twitter@rafaelmgrossi[/caption] The UN agency is tasked with monitoring Tehran’s nuclear activities to assess its compliance with the 2015 agreement with major powers, which has been severely undermined by Washington’s abandonment of it in May last year. Iran hopes that during Grossi’s tenure, the IAEA “can neutrally and professionally undertake its international responsibilities and sensitive missions,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement. “Iran is ready to maintain and expand interaction and cooperation with the agency with goodwill and mutual respect,” he added. Tensions with the United States have escalated sharply since it began reimposing crippling unilateral sanctions lifted under the nuclear deal. Tehran has hit back by suspending its compliance with parts of the deal until sanctions relief is restored. It is due to unveil a fourth package of measures on Monday.