"Use of nuclear weapons could lead to unstoppable escalation and to a situation which could be completely out of control. So, we try to engage with countries, we try to help to deescalate the situations that may lead to that," Grossi said in an interview with Al Arabiya broadcaster.
He also expressed hope to meet with new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as soon as possible in order to discuss the country's nuclear program and the issues associated with it. The IAEA’s chief said he is ready to come to Tehran to continue the bilateral dialogue with Iran.
Meanwhile, it is "extremely improbable" that Tehran might be secretly developing nuclear weapons behind the backs of international agencies, such as the IAEA, amid the agency's current inspection and verification capability, Grossi added.
In 2015, Tehran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the involvement of the European Union. The deal committed Iran to scaling back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The US withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, leading to the collapse of the deal. In 2021, Tehran voluntarily permitted the IAEA to replace cameras at the nuclear facility in the Iranian city of Karaj, saying, however, that it would provide data of the cameras' footage only after the US cancels its sanctions.