IAEA, Iran Face-to-Face Ahead of Trump's Return...Will "maximum pressure" be strengthened?

[Anchor]
As the second Trump administration is expected to strengthen its pressure stance, such as sanctions against Iran, some observers say that the confrontation between the U.S. and Iran cannot be ruled out.

In this situation, the Secretary-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the IAEA visited Iran to talk with senior Iranian officials to ease the nuclear crisis.

Correspondent Jo Su-hyun reports from London.

[Reporter]
IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Grossi visited Tehran, Iran, about a week after Trump's election.

Grossi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi and Iran's Atomic Energy Commissioner Mohammad Eslami to seek ways to ease the nuclear crisis.

It seems to have focused on finding diplomatic compromises, delivering warnings about Iran's refusal to raise uranium enrichment levels and inspect nuclear facilities.

[IAEA Secretary-General Raphael Grossi: We all know that it is time to produce concrete, certain and tangible results]

Iran has expressed its willingness to talk but has made clear its precondition that there should be no external pressure on its nuclear program.

It signaled that the negotiation process will not be easy in the future.

[Mohammad Eslami / Director of the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran] A resolution to interfere in Iran's nuclear program would result in immediate countermeasures and we will not tolerate such pressure.]

Secretary-General Grossi's visit to Iran is interpreted as a preparation for the possibility of deepening the Iranian nuclear crisis after the inauguration of the second Trump administration.

During the first administration, Trump unilaterally broke the nuclear agreement reached under the former Obama administration and imposed strong economic sanctions on Iran.

The second government is expected to further isolate Iran and continue or strengthen the "maximum pressure" stance, which was the first Iran policy.

Iran is expected to block Iranian oil exports, which could try to upgrade its nuclear program against Trump's return to power and Israel's threat of attack.

Managing the situation is becoming more important than ever, as the second Trump administration could enter a "strong and strong" confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.

I'm Jo Suhyun of YTN in London.