Iran said on Monday that the head of the IAEA - the UN nuclear safety watchdog - Rafael Grossi - will visit Tehran "in the coming days" amid the dispute over the levels of uranium enrichment in the Islamic Republic, writes AFP.

 The IAEA said this month it was in talks with Tehran after Bloomberg News reported that watchdog inspectors in Iran found uranium enriched to 84%, very close to weapons-grade. Iran has denied the report, insisting it has made no attempt to enrich uranium to more than 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent threshold set by a historic deal reached with world powers in 2015.

 The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said on Monday that Grossi would travel to Iran "in the coming days" at the official invitation of its director, Mohammad Eslami.

 "In recent days, we have had constructive and promising discussions" with an IAEA delegation already in Iran to dispel any doubts about the nuclear program, OAEI spokesman Behruz Kamalvandi said.

 "It is hoped that this trip will serve as a basis for closer cooperation and a clearer horizon between Iran and the IAEA," he added.

 The latest visit by IAEA inspectors comes amid deadlocked talks to revive the 2015 deal that promised Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.

 The restrictions were aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability, which it has always denied.

 The United States unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to suspend its own commitments under the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.