ANKARA 

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday as part of his visit to Iran for talks on the country’s nuclear program.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called the talks between the two sides as “very important.”

The Iranian nuclear program "has always been peaceful," the spokesman said, stressing Iran’s willingness to "genuinely" work with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve any misunderstanding regarding its nuclear program.

Grossi arrived in Tehran Wednesday evening for a two-day visit during which he is expected to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The visit comes amid a dispute between Iran and the West regarding its nuclear program.

In 2018, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. Trump was reelected as US president earlier this month.