Iran’s President to French Counterpart: Nuclear Deal Requires Guarantees, End to IAEA Inquiry

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday that Iran needs “reassuring guarantees” and the inquiry into the Islamic Republic by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be shut down before a renewed nuclear deal with the world’s powers can be reached. Iran, he said, was ready for a “fair and stable” nuclear agreement but insisted on guarantees due to the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. The IAEA inquiry was “a serious obstacle to reaching an agreement,” said the Iranian president. “We believe that without the closure of Iran’s cases, it is not possible to reach an agreement.”

Raisi made the demands in a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to a statement published on the Iranian presidency’s website.