Baku, Azerbaijan, April 29
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The visit of International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Chief Inspector to Iran was realized within mutual agreements, Spokeswoman of the Iranian foreign ministry said.
Marzieh Afkham remarked that the IAEA officials are making visits to Iran to hold talks based on earlier agreements, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on April 29. She made the remarks during her weekly press conference in Tehran.
The spokeswomen denied giving more information about the details of the negotiations during the Chief Inspector's visit.
The IAEA announced on April 28 that its chief inspector, Tero Varjoranta had held "informal" talks in Tehran without unveiling any further details. The IAEA spokesman Serge Gas said that the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano would "provide an update on developments" in Iran to the U.N. agency's 35-nation board of governors in a few weeks' time, an apparent reference to a quarterly report due in May, Reuters reported on April 28.
Iran agreed late last year to grant IAEA inspectors greater access to nuclear-related sites and to provide more information about its disputed nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.
The IAEA's talks with Iran are separate from negotiations between P5+1(the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia ) and Tehran but still closely linked, as both are focused on easing fears that Tehran may be seeking the capability to produce nuclear bombs. Iran denies any such aim.
The powers want Iran to address the IAEA's concerns as part of any wider diplomatic accord to end the decade-old dispute over the country's nuclear program.
Iran and the P5+1 signed a six-month interim nuclear deal on Jan. 20 and are continuing their talks to reach the final agreement.
Edited by C.N.