IAEA, Iran Plan Nuclear Transparency Talks

U.N. nuclear watchdog officials plan to visit Iran Monday for a second round of talks on addressing concerns over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, July 30).

The talks are expected to focus on boosting International Atomic Energy Agency efforts to monitor Iran’s underground Natanz uranium enrichment plant as the site progresses toward “industrial scale” production.

“The IAEA team will arrive for further talks on Monday and they will stay for up to six days,” an Iranian official said.  “We will continue to discuss the modalities on how to resolve the outstanding issues with the agency.”

Agency inspectors who visited the unfinished Arak heavy-water reactor this week received full cooperation from Iranian officials and were given full access to the site, said an IAEA official.

Inspectors to date have been allowed to watch what materials have been taken in and out of the Natanz plant, but they have not been allowed to freely examine or photograph the site’s centrifuge enrichment machines, diplomats said.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has said that Iran’s goal to create an “action plan” to clarify its nuclear intentions before the end of August has raised hope of cooling tension that Tehran’s nuclear program (Reuters, Aug. 1).

Meanwhile, foreign ministers attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum in Manila plan to express “deep concern” about a May report from ElBaradei that Iran had not halted its uranium enrichment, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported.

“The ministers stressed the urgent need for a diplomatic solution and a comprehensive arrangement with Iran, while respecting Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy under safeguards and in accordance with its obligations under the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty,” the draft statement said (Deutsche Presse-Agentur/Earth Times, Aug. 1).

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