UN nuclear head meets with Iranians amid enrichment concerns

By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN and JOSEPH KRAUSS
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has met with officials in Iran. Rafael Mariano Grossi’s meetings on Saturday came days after it was revealed that Iran had enriched particles of uranium to near weapons-grade, raising new alarm over the country’s long-disputed nuclear program. Grossi met with Iran’s president, foreign minister and the head of its nuclear program, but declined to comment on the discussions while he was in Iran. A joint statement issued after the visit appeared unlikely to ease Western concerns. Earlier this week, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency reported that uranium particles enriched up to 83.7%, or just short of weapons-grade, were found in Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site.