IAEA chief arrives in Iran to discuss N-issues

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano has arrived in Iran to discuss further cooperation between Tehran and the agency.

Amano arrived in the capital city, Tehran, early on Monday for a visit at the invitation of Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi.

Speaking to reporters in Vienna before departing for Tehran, the IAEA chief expressed hope that his visit would lead to concrete results towards resolving “all outstanding issues to ensure Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.”

Iran’s IAEA Ambassador Reza Najafi will lead the Iranian team in talks with the UN nuclear agency.

Referring to Iran’s recent proposal to the IAEA in October, Amano said the plan included “practical measures to strengthen cooperation and dialog.”

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi presented the Islamic Republic’s new approach to its nuclear energy program in a meeting with Amano on October 28 hours before talks between the Iranian and IAEA delegations in Vienna.

During the meeting, Araqchi also informed Amano of Iran’s readiness to “respond to all IAEA questions and ambiguities in a short period of time.”

The first round of talks between Iran and the IAEA under the administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was held on September 27.