Envoys from Iran, China, and Russia convened for a trilateral meeting in Vienna on Saturday, ahead of the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in March.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to the international organizations in Vienna, confirmed the meeting on his Telegram channel, stating the three parties had agreed on "joint steps" ahead of the March Board of Governors session.
"Difficult discussions on Iran are expected at the March meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors," Ulyanov wrote.
The meeting comes as the relationship between Iran and the IAEA remains fraught in the aftermath of last June's 12-day conflict, during which US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran has accused IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi of provoking the aggression by issuing what it called a biased report.
In response to the strikes, Iran initially revoked all access for inspectors before later reinstating limited permissions. Tehran also withdrew from an understanding with the IAEA in Cairo, following a European move in September to trigger the snapback mechanism, effectively reimposing international sanctions.
At the heart of the current impasse is the IAEA's demand for access to the facilities damaged in the June bombardment. While Iran has granted visits to other, undamaged sites, it continues to refuse inspectors entry to the locations struck by US munitions.
In November, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution demanding that Tehran provide comprehensive information on its enriched uranium stockpile and the status of the damaged facilities" without delay".
Grossi warned later in January that the standoff over high-grade uranium and inspection access could not continue indefinitely. He said he was exercising "diplomatic caution" but would be left with no choice but to declare Iran in non-compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if the situation did not change.
The trilateral meeting in Vienna also comes before a new round of Tehran-Washington negotiations, scheduled to take place this Tuesday, February 17, in Geneva.
