Tehran: Iran said on Monday that it had invited the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafeal Grossi to Tehran, ahead of the restarting of talks in Vienna over the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.

“Grossi has been invited to travel to Tehran. A date has been set in this regard and we are waiting for his response to the specified date. He will visit Iran probably soon,” spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

The invite comes days after the UN’s nuclear watchdog chief called the lack of communication from Tehran “astonishing.”

Grossi was last in Iran in September. During that trip he secured access to surveillance footage of the nuclear facilities across the country.

The IAEA subsequently criticised Iran for failing to provide “indispensable” access to a workshop that manufactures centrifuge components.

The agency is also seeking an explanation for traces of uranium found at three undeclared sites. The dispute between the IAEA and Iran could undermine upcoming talks.

The Argentinian national had been hoping to return to Iran before a key IAEA meeting on November 22.

Iran is planning to return to talks in Vienna with world powers on November 29.

European leaders, as well as US President Joe Biden, are hoping to resume negotiations that would limit Iran’s nuclear development in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Washington and Tehran have expressed a desire to return to the deal, but both have called on the other to take the first step.

Iran has repeatedly said that sanctions must be lifted before the negotiations can start while Biden has demanded Tehran reign in its nuclear developments that have far exceeded the limits set by the deal.

Iran is also seeking a guarantee that the US would not, once again, backtrack on its part of the agreement.

The deal, first signed in 2015 under then-President Barack Obama, was later sunk by the unilateral withdrawal of the US by former President Donald Trump.

Talks were put on hold in June after the election in Iran of President Ebrahim Raisi.