US supports Iran's mtg with UN technical experts

The State Department says the U.S. is supportive of Iran agreeing to sit down with international technical experts investigating the discovery of uranium particles at three former undeclared sites in the country.

This comes after months of frustration at Tehran's lack of a credible explanation.

The agreement came as three of the remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran - France, Germany and Britain - backed off the idea of a resolution criticizing Iran for its decision to start limiting access by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to current facilities.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told reporters in Vienna it was not up to him to say whether Iran's move to hold talks with his technical experts was linked to the decision of the so-called E3 group, but suggested it was difficult to separate the political side of Iran's nuclear program from the technical side.

The E3 had floated the idea of the resolution after Iran began restricting international inspections last week. After a last-minute trip to Tehran by Grossi, however, some access was preserved.

Russia and China - the other members of the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - were reportedly against the resolution, saying it could antagonize Iran further.

The nuclear deal promised Iran economic incentives in return for the curbs on its nuclear program. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal unilaterally in 2018, saying it needed to be renegotiated.

Since then, Iran has slowly violated the restrictions to try and pressure the remaining nations to increase the incentives to offset new, economy-crippling U.S. sanctions.