U.N. Nuke Agency: Progress On Iran Nuclear Program
Source: Associated Press
VIENNA — A senior U.N. official announced progress Friday in long-stalled efforts to resume a probe of suspicions that Iran may have worked to develop nuclear arms, saying the investigation could be restarted by early next year.
Herman Nackaerts of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke of headway after returning from talks with Iranian officials in Tehran, saying his team was “able to make progress” and the IAEA expects to “start implementing” an agreement on the probe shortly after new talks in Tehran on Jan. 16
He acknowledged that a key IAEA request — a visit to a site linked to suspected nuclear weapons research — was again denied. But he told reporters at Vienna airport that he expected IAEA experts to be allowed to go to Parchin, a military base southeast of Tehran, and follow up on suspicions it might have been used as part of secret arms-related experiments once the probe is resumed.
In Tehran, Iran’s state TV also reported that there was no agreement on visiting Parchin. But in comments to state TV, Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh called the talks “constructive,” adding that “good progress was made.” He also said a new meeting was set for Jan. 16.
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