IAEA team to arrive in Tehran on Monday

A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is slated to visit Iran on Monday to discuss the implementation of the remaining nuclear transparency measures agreed in May between Iran and the agency.

The high-level team, which will be led by Tero Tapio Varjoranta, the IAEA deputy director general and head of the Department of Safeguards, is scheduled to arrive in the Iranian capital, Tehran, later on Monday, IRNA reported.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said the IAEA delegates are set to resume their discussions with the AEOI to resolve the outstanding issues regarding the enforcement of the two remaining transparency measures on Tuesday.

Iran and the IAEA signed a joint statement last November to outline a roadmap for mutual cooperation on certain outstanding nuclear issues.

On May 20, the two sides held a technical meeting within the Framework for Cooperation agreed in November 2013. During the meeting, they agreed to five practical measures which were to be implemented by August 25.

In a report on September 6, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano confirmed Iran had implemented three of five transparency steps that it was supposed to take by August 25.

The report said Iran cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to about 7.8 tons in August from 8.5 tons in May, adding that Tehran has stopped the enrichment of UF6 above the 5-percent level, and no longer has any stockpile of UF6 enriched up to 20-percent.

No new facilities have been installed at Arak Heavy Water reactor I central Iran, and there has been no fuel test or production process at the site, said the report, adding that Iran continues to provide the agency with controlled access to centrifuge assembly units and stockpile facilities.

The IAEA, however, claimed Iran has been slow in providing the agency with information about its past nuclear activities, including alleged experiments on explosives that could be used for military purposes and studies related to calculating nuclear explosive yields.

Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Reza Najafi has said given the complexity of the issues, Iran and the agency had already predicted it might not be possible to finish their reviews of the remaining topics by August 25.

Tehran has repeatedly denied accusations of military dimensions in its nuclear activities. The IAEA has, on numerous occasions, confirmed non-diversion in Tehran’s civilian nuclear work.