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IAEA chief to discuss nuclear issues with Iranian officials in Tehran

Xinhua, July 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog chief is flying to Tehran on Wednesday for a meeting with the Iranian president on Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano is to meet with President Hassan Rouhani and other Iranian officials.

The Iranian nuclear deal deadline was extended to July 7 from June 30 to buy more time, as some gaps remained in areas of the agreement including the clarification of Iran's so-called possible military dimensions (PMDs) and the transparency of Tehran's nuclear program.

As a monitor, IAEA is the key player in resolving PMDs. Iran and the agency agreed to resolve the issue in November 2013; however, progress is still quite slow.

"Discussions are expected to address ongoing cooperation between the IAEA and the Islamic Republic of Iran under the Framework for Cooperation, and how to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear program, including clarification of possible military dimensions," IAEA said.

Amano met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif here on Tuesday.

The IAEA wants to get full access to Iran's military site and interview Iran's nuclear scientists, but this is already beyond the safeguard agreement with Iran and was rejected by Tehran.

Iran's supreme leader made a statement earlier last week rejecting the UN inspectors' visit to Iran's military sites, which was seen as a setback in the talks.

In an IAEA report released in November 2011, the agency said that based on "credible information" it had received, Iran may have developed nuclear weapons under its civilian nuclear plan. Endit