Iran Nuclear NewsU.N. nuke delegation arrives in Iran

U.N. nuke delegation arrives in Iran

-

AP: A delegation from the U.N. nuclear watchdog traveled to Iran on Wednesday to see if the Tehran government is willing to answer all outstanding questions about its disputed nuclear program, state television reported. Associated Press

By NASSER KARIMI

Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – A delegation from the U.N. nuclear watchdog traveled to Iran on Wednesday to see if the Tehran government is willing to answer all outstanding questions about its disputed nuclear program, state television reported.

The report said a “high-ranking” five-member delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency headed by Deputy Director General Olli Heinonen arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit.

Heinonen planned to meet with Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, later in the day, the report said.

Larijani and IAEA Chief Mohammad ElBaradei met last month in Vienna, Austria. Earlier this week, ElBaradei said Iran had scaled back its uranium enrichment program, suggesting a new willingness from the government to resolve the international standoff over its nuclear defiance.

Members of the U.N. Security Council are preparing to debate a third set of sanctions against the Islamic republic in response to Tehran’s refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for civilian energy or fissile material for a bomb.

Speaking in Vienna, ElBaradei said Monday if Iran finally honored its promise to resolve questions surrounding its program and froze all enrichment activities “this would influence the actions” of the six nations. He suggested the council – the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany, would hold off on new sanctions.

The head of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, welcomed the talks.

“Iran’s initiation in inviting the delegation is aimed at removing technical arguments in negotiations with Solana,” Boroujerdi was quoted as saying by Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, referring to Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief. Larijani and Solana have held three rounds of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities.

But Boroujerdi also reaffirmed that Iran has no intention of suspending enrichment.

“Technically, both the slowdown and speed up of activities is possible, however, the principle of continuation of activities have been remained in force,” he said referring to ElBaradei’s comments Monday.

Tehran insists it wants to develop an enrichment program to generate energy, but the U.S. and some of its allies fear that it could misuse it to produce the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

Iran has said it is ready to remove the ambiguities related to its nuclear activities through negotiations but rejects enrichment suspension, a condition set by the West for resumption of talks on the case.

The Security Council first imposed sanctions on Iran in December and modestly increased them in March over Iran’s refusal to suspend enrichment.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

State terrorism: Albanian police says MEK targeted by Quds force team sent to Albania from Iran

Albanian General Police Director Ardi Veliu said Wednesday that an active cell of the foreign...

Iran IRGC’s Cyber Army and Its Consecutive Defeats

Hossein Salami, the head of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you