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Steps taken for Iran-IAEA cooperation: official

Xinhua, July 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) took major steps to resolve remaining issues of Iran's nuclear program, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, was quoted as saying by state IRIB TV on Tuesday.

"Iran and the IAEA reached agreement of principles over the timetable to cooperate and took a major step to settle the remaining issues," Kamalvandi said after the Iranian nuclear and security officials held a day-long talks with a visiting delegation of UN nuclear watchdog in Tehran on Monday.

"The visit of the delegation after several days of (IAEA chief Yukiya) Amano's visit to Tehran is the sign of serious determination on both sides to enhance cooperation," he said.

On the whole, the talks were "constructive and straightforward," he said without further elaboration.

The five-member delegation of the IAEA arrived in Tehran on Monday to discuss the details of the implementation of the timetable for cooperation with the Iranian officials.

Following the meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani in Tehran on Thursday, the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said that he had "a better understanding on some ways forward" over enhancing the transparency of Iran's controversial nuclear activities.

Amano visited Iran in the context of the IAEA's continued engagement with Iran and the P5+1 countries -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- as they work toward a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The P5+1 countries want strengthened monitoring measures to ensure that Tehran complies with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its commitment to the comprehensive deal once the accord is agreed on.

The IAEA has long been asking Iran to grant the nuclear inspectors access to some military sites to verify if nuclear-related activities have taken place there, a request Tehran sees as an excessive demand beyond the NPT safeguards agreement and Iran's obligation. Endit