The head of the UN nuclear agency is to arrive in Tehran on Sunday for meetings about Iran's implementation of its nuclear agreement with major powers, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano expressed concerns to Iran last month over its slight overstepping of a limit under the deal on its stock of heavy water, a substance used as a moderator in some nuclear reactors.
Iran has since shipped its excess heavy water out of the country, but diplomats say it has yet to be delivered to a buyer. The US and its allies say Tehran must do so to comply with the agreement.
"The visit is part of regular high-level contacts between the agency and Iran," the IAEA, which is monitoring the restrictions placed by the agreement on Iran's nuclear activities, said in a statement, according to Reuters.
"In Tehran, the director general will discuss Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," it said, using the official name of the deal, which also lifted international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The row over heavy water raises questions about how US president-elect, Donald Trump, will handle any such incidents after he takes office next month. He has said he would "police that contract so tough they [the Iranians] don't have a chance".
The visit also comes as Iran is complaining increasingly loudly that the US has not held up its side of the bargain, a charge Washington denies.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani ordered his country's scientists on Tuesday to start developing systems for nuclear-powered marine vessels. He was responding to a decision by US Congress to extend some sanctions against Tehran, which would also make it easier to reimpose others.
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