IAEA declines to comment on Iran letter to UN nuclear agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has declined to make comments on a letter by Iran that declared Tehran’s readiness to resume the talks with the UN nuclear agency.

Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asghar Soltanieh reportedly handed over the letter to the IAEA on Tuesday.

“The agency will not comment regarding the issue,” said an IAEA diplomat.

On February 21, a high-ranking delegation headed by IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts and Assistant Director General for Policy Rafael Grossi visited the Iranian capital, Tehran, to hold talks about further cooperation on Iran’s nuclear energy program.

The visit was preceded by another trip to Iran by a team of the agency’s inspectors on January 29.

The US and some of its allies accuse Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran refutes such claims, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to utilize nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.