Iran, IAEA express progress in talks

The Islamic republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have expressed progress in the recent talks over Iran's nuclear program. Herman Nackaerts, the IAEA's deputy director general for safeguards, who led a seven-member delegation, held a new round of talks on some aspects of Iran's nuclear program with Iranian nuclear officials behind closed doors in Tehran on Thursday. At the end of the one-day talks, Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's permanent representative to the IAEA, said that the talks between Iran and the IAEA experts were "constructive and good progress was made," Press TV reported. After intensive talks, another round of talks was decided to be held between both sides in Tehran on Jan. 16, 2013, said Soltanieh. Iran and the IAEA experts have held several rounds of talks since the beginning of this year in an attempt to find mechanisms to shed a light on the gray side of Iran's nuclear activities; however, no breakthrough was made and no agreement was signed. On Thursday, although the IAEA delegation was not granted access to one of the Iranian disputed military sites, where the UN body suspects that some explosive experiments might have been carried out, they expressed hope that Iran would provide the chance for investigations in the upcoming meetings. On Wednesday, western media quoted Nackaerts as saying that the IAEA hoped Iran would allow the inspectors to go to Parchin military site in southeast Tehran, which is a sensitive spot in negotiations between the IAEA and Iran over the latter's contested nuclear program. Nackaerts on Friday said that he was confident that a deal with Tehran, which includes access to the controversial Parchin base, could be sealed next month. Speaking upon his return from Tehran, IAEA chief inspector expressed his confidence to finalize a structured approach in the next meeting with Iran in January 2013. "We were able to make progress on the text of the structured approach to resolving the outstanding issues on possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program," Nackaerts said. "Access to Parchin is part of the structured approach and we hope as I said that we will implement that shortly after agreeing on the approach," he said. Iranians have stressed that it is not likely for the IAEA officials to visit Iran's military sites unless a modality for investigations is developed between the sides. On Thursday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania Abbas Araghchi said that "The (Thursday) meeting will focus on technical negotiations between Iran and the agency for deciding the framework and modality of (mutual) cooperation." Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that the talks with the IAEA in Tehran would have legal and technical dimensions and would be on the basis of Non- Proliferation Treaty regulations. Iran was ready to cooperate with the IAEA to remove the UN watchdog's concerns over its nuclear program. At the same time, Iran expected that its rights to the peaceful use of nuclear technology and nuclear enrichment were recognized, said Mehmanparast. Some Western nations suspect that Iran is conducting weapon- grade activities under the guise of civilian nuclear programs. But Iran denies the charges, saying that its nuclear activities are only for "peaceful" ends.