Iran, IAEA talk fuel for Tehran reactor

A high-ranking Iranian delegation has met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief in Vienna to discuss providing fuel for the Tehran research reactor.

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi along with Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh met with Yukia Amano in Vienna on Wednesday.

The meeting was mainly concentrated on Tehran’s research reactor and supplying fuel for it, a Press TV correspondent reported.

At the end of the meeting, the IAEA chief expressed optimism that there could be a meeting between Iran and the Vienna Group — France, Russia, the US and the IAEA — soon.

Salehi expressed hope that the agency would continue to persuade the Vienna Group to meet with Iran over the swap deal based on the Tehran declaration.

Iran, Brazil and Turkey issued a joint nuclear fuel swap declaration on May 17, based on which Tehran agreed to exchange 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium on Turkish soil with fuel for its Tehran research reactor.

The US and its European allies snubbed the declaration and, in less than a month after its announcement, the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear work.

Iran has condemned the sanctions, saying that punitive measures could only hurt the positive atmosphere of cooperation created by the Tehran declaration.

Salehi, who is in Vienna to attend an IAEA General Conference, told Press TV that both sides have agreed to enhance their cooperation, adding that the meeting was “a very good beginning for the future cooperation [between Iran and] the agency.”

He added that Iran expected the agency to act impartially.

“We have decided to be more in contact with each other to further enhance our cooperation. We believe in the important role of the agency … We believe in the integrity of the agency and … the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty). At the same time we expect the agency to be as objective, impartial and professional as it can be,” he told Press TV.