Itongadol/AJN.- Senior Iranian official says that Iran will cooperate with nuclear watchdog; IAEA wants Iran to address long held suspicions that it researched how to build an atomic bomb.
Iran is ready to answer the UN atomic agency\’s questions about its nuclear program, a senior official was quoted as saying ahead of talks on Saturday expected to broach sensitive military-related issues.
The International Atomic Energy Agency hopes to persuade Iran to finally start addressing long-held suspicions it may have researched how to build atomic bombs.
Tehran has rejected the accusations of weaponization-related work as forged and baseless, while saying it will cooperate with the IAEA to clear up any "ambiguities".
Saturday\’s meeting comes 10 days before Tehran and world powers, building on a landmark interim deal that took effect last month, start talks on a long-term accord on Iran\’s nuclear aspirations that would avert the threat of a Middle East war.
The "aim is to answer the IAEA\’s questions", Behrouz Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by ISNA, without elaborating.
Iran\’s Press TV English-language state television said in a headline on its website, citing the same official: "Iran ready to answer all IAEA questions."
Diplomats are cautiously optimistic that after Saturday\’s talks in Tehran the team of senior IAEA inspectors will be able to show at least some progress in gaining Iran\’s cooperation.
A spokesman for Iran\’s Atomic Energy Organization said the meeting had been scheduled for one day but might be extended, the ISNA news agency reported on Friday.