Iran this week held “positive and constructive” talks with legal experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Aug. 5).

The legal team arrived in Tehran Monday to discuss Iran’s possible signing of the Additional Protoco to its IAEA safeguards agreement, which would allow for more intrusive monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities.  The talks were set to continue today, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency announced.

Conservatives in Iran have denounced the Additional Protocol.

“The notion that accepting the Additional Protocol will exculpate Iran is an infantile and amateurish supposition,” said Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the hard-line Kayhan newspaper.  “The only thing which can foil the plot hatched jointly by America, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency against Islamic Iran is our withdrawal from the NPT [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty],” he added (Reuters/Yahoo!News, Aug. 6).

Members of the reformist-dominated legislature, however, are pushing for Iran’s accession to the protocol.

First Deputy Speaker Mohammed Khatami called for leaders to sign the protocol to build confidence with the international community.

“Iran has always welcomed cooperation on global issues,” he said (IRNA/BBC Monitoring, Aug. 6).

Pakistan Denies Nuclear Assistance

Pakistan yesterday denied a Los Angeles Times report that said Pakistani nuclear scientists had assisted Iran in developing a nuclear weapon (see GSN, Aug. 4).

“Pakistan’s commitments, affirmed at the highest level, that it would not export any sensitive technologies to third countries remains unquestionable,” the Pakistani embassy in Washington said in a statement (Pakistan Embassy release, Aug. 5).

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