Iran and IAEA End Talks, Unclear If Progress Made

The U.N. nuclear watchdog and Iran ended a three-hour meeting on Monday without announcing any new action to allay concerns about Tehran’s atomic activities, leaving it unclear whether headway was achieved.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicated after the talks that some more work was still needed for the full implementation of a series of nuclear transparency steps that Iran had agreed to take by May 15.

“Discussions on additional practical measures to be implemented in the next steps are ongoing,” the IAEA said in a statement, suggesting no agreement had yet been reached. The IAEA did not give details.

Reuters last week cited diplomatic sources as saying the IAEA is seeking further clarification from Iran about one of those measures — fast-acting detonators that have civilian and military uses, including setting off an atomic explosive device.

The meeting took place a day before the Iran and six world powers start a new round of negotiations in Vienna on a broad diplomatic settlement of the decade-old nuclear dispute.

Under a transparency and cooperation agreement reached with the IAEA in November, Iran was to take seven measures by May 15 in a phased process to shed more light on a nuclear program the West fears may be aimed at developing atomic bomb capability.

The IAEA statement said the two sides had reviewed progress on implementation of the steps.

“The agency noted that Iran has taken several actions and that some related work continues,” it said, without elaborating.

The lack of a clear outcome in Monday’s meeting may disappoint Western diplomats, who want Iran to move much faster in addressing suspicions about past atomic bomb research. Tehran denies any such work.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the May 13th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.