Baku, Azerbaijan, April 29
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The head of the IAEA's Safeguards will visit Iran's "Saghand" uranium mining complex and Ardakan concentration plant in the coming days.
The spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said that Massimo Aparo will visit the facilities on the Iran-IAEA seven-article agreement, the country's ISNA news agency reported on April 29.
The Saghand uranium mining complex is located near Ardakan, in central Iran.
The mine has 1.5 million tons of ore reserves, with an average grade of 553 ppm. Ore is processed into uranium ore concentrate at the yellowcake production plant at Ardakan.
Kamalvandi also went on to say that The IAEA inspectors visited Iran's Lashgarabad laser uranium enrichment facility last week.
Based on the Iran-IAEA deal made in the second phase of technical talks with the aim of easing concerns and answering the IAEA questions on Iranian peaceful nuclear issue, Iran agreed to hand mutually-agreed information, and make arrangements for technical visit of Lashkarabad center.
The spokesman also confirmed the visit of the IAEA deputy director general Tero Varjoranta to Tehran for informal talks.
Varjoranta has visited Iran frequently and the IAEA officials come to Iran to hold talks with Iranian officials within the framework of Iran-IAEA cooperation, Kamalvandi underlined.
It should be recalled that Iran agreed to take seven "practical steps" in its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to a joint statement of Iran and the IAEA posted on the website of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) in February.
Based on the agreement, Iran should allow IAEA access to Saghand uranium mine and Ardakan yellow cake complex in the central province of Yazd. Iran agreed to provide more information about its Arak heavy- water reactor and implement the agreed procedure on the reactor.
Iran will complete the agreement's implementation by May 15.
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