Roundup: Iran, IAEA agree to set timetable to resolve technical nuke issues: president

Iran will resolve remaining technical nuclear issues in close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a specific timetable, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said here on Thursday.

Within the directives of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of which the Islamic republic is a member, Iran is ready to settle the remaining issues, Rouhani said at a meeting with visiting IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, semi-official Iran's Student News Agency reported.

The IAEA should play its deserving role in Iran's nuclear talks with the world powers so that Iran could enjoy its rights, as with other members of the NPT, without any discrimination, he said.

Iran has had transparent cooperation with the IAEA over the past years, and it has been proved to the IAEA that Iran's nuclear program has not diverted to weapons-grade activities, he added.

Non-diversion of Iran's nuclear activities to weapons-grade activities was also stressed by Amano in his meeting with Rouhani. "Based on the past inspections, we have reported that Iran's nuclear activities have not diverted to military program," he said.

"I believe that all the remaining problems can be resolved with close cooperation," he added.

Also on Thursday, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said that Tehran is determined and has the political will to reach a "fair and balanced" agreement with world powers for a long-term solution to its disputed nuclear issue.

Iran's active cooperation with international institutions within the framework of its obligations and conventional legal procedures is at the core of its principles, Shamkhani said at the meeting with Amano.

"Any proposal which pragmatically guarantees the continuation of Iran's peaceful nuclear technology and remove oppressive and illegal sanctions unconditionally will be welcomed by Iran," he added.

For his part, Amano expressed his understanding of Iran's concerns and sensitivities in its cooperation with the IAEA.

Amano put forward some suggestions for joint work to speed up mutual cooperation to solve existing technical issues regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Earlier on Thursday, Iranian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi said that Amano has reached agreement with top Iranian officials on the timetable for cooperation to solve existing problems.

The talks were held in an interactive atmosphere which helped "to reach an agreement on the timetable for cooperation to solve the existing problems considering the concerns of both sides," Najafi said.

"Coordination will be made soon to decide on the details and the timetable (of the cooperation) at the expert level," he added.

Amano arrived in Tehran on Thursday to discuss mechanisms for clarification of key nuclear issues with top Iranian officials.

In June, Amano said that the progress on the clarification regarding the so-called possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear plan was still slow and it might take years to resolve the issue with Tehran.

Iran denied the allegation, saying the information was forged and misleading.

The visit of the IAEA chief came after a June 30 deadline was missed for a comprehensive deal between Iran and five United Nations Security Council permanent members plus Germany.

On Tuesday, both sides agreed to extend the deadline by another week.

Iran and so-called P5+1 are seeking a long-term solution to the disputed Iranian nuclear issue. Under a possible deal, the IAEA will be tasked to monitor Iran's nuclear activities and verify whether they are peaceful. Endit