TEHRAN, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's nuclear chief said on Tuesday that he held "constructive" talks with the director general of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, according to the official news agency IRNA.

President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami made the remarks at a joint press conference with Rafael Grossi, the visiting director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following their meeting earlier in the day in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.

Eslami said the joint statement issued by Iran and the IAEA in March last year to step up cooperation was a "positive baseline" but the progress of their interaction has slowed "due to certain issues."

"However, today, after we reviewed the joint statement, we became hopeful to continue with the baseline," he added.

Eslami said the IAEA's ambiguities about two of the four allegedly undeclared sites, where traces of uranium were claimed to have been found, had already been resolved, with only the remaining two sites to be cleared of charges.

The AEOI chief warned against letting "hostile moves" against Iran's nuclear programs, which stemmed from Israel, impact the interactions between Tehran and the agency, noting that Israel's claims and positions should no longer become the agency's criterion against Iran.

Eslami expressed confidence that the two sides would take steps towards a bright future full of interactions.

Grossi, for his part, emphasized that the resolution of the remaining issues of difference needed serious efforts and steps by both Iran and the IAEA, saying despite the "shortcomings and ups and downs," the interaction existed between the agency and Tehran.

"I have presented a proposal containing practical steps that will clear the future path. The two sides' teams are currently in negotiations with each other to outline the future course."

Pointing to the March 2023 joint statement, Grossi added, "We do not seek to have a new document. We will have the March 2023 document for bilateral cooperation and interaction. The document has the capacity to help the two sides resolve the remaining issues."

Commenting on Iran's concerns regarding Israel's "destructive role" in its nuclear program, he said the agency did not pay attention to other players and was solely interacting with Iran and considered only the country's role.

"Of importance to us is the regional interests and security and those are what we pay attention to. We will make efforts to, through implementing the necessary measures, remove any doubt about Iran's nuclear program and move on the right track with the country."

He added, "We should prepare the ground for returning to the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and know what measures should be implemented to that end."

Grossi arrived in Iran on Monday to attend an international nuclear conference and meet a number of the country's high-ranking officials.

Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. However, the United States withdrew from the agreement in May 2018, reinstating sanctions and prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.

Efforts to revive the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria, but despite multiple rounds of negotiations, no substantial progress has been reported since the last talks in August 2022. Enditem

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