TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) — Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (IAEO), on Friday applauded its cooperation with the UN atomic watchdog as “entering a new phase”.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Saeedi as saying that “Regarding Iran’s active cooperation with the IAEA and settlement of basic and key issues on Iran’s nuclear case, relations between Tehran and the agency have entered a new phase.”
The result of such “active cooperation” and “settlement” of essential issues should be normalization of the country’s nuclear issue, said Saeedi, adding he hopes it could be transferred to the IAEA from the UN Security Council.
The Iranian official made the remarks amid a key visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency chief (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei in Tehran to discuss the “vague” issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programs.
ElBaradei, who was accompanied by his deputy Olli Heinonen, arrived in Tehran Friday morning at the invitation of Gholam Reza Aqazadeh, Iran’s vice president and head of the IAEO.
According to his spokeswoman Melissa Fleming in Vienna, ElBaradei “hoped his visit can contribute to the clarification of some vague issues regarding Iran’s nuclear programs and would help to find measures to improve and accelerate the IAEA’s supervision and inspection on the programs”.
During his two-day visit in Iran, which was the first in over one and a half years, ElBaradei is scheduled to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Aqazadeh and may hold talks with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to the local sources.
ElBaradei’s visit came amid the international community was discussing a new round of sanctions against Tehran over its defiance of refusing to suspend uranium enrichment work, which the West fears could be diverted into weapon use.
After more than four years of investigation, the IAEA still cannot decide whether Tehran’s nuclear program was just for peaceful purposes or not.
During his last report released in mid-November, ElBaradei said “Iran has made substantial progress in revealing the nature and extent of its disputed nuclear program, but needs to be more pro-active in providing information.”
The United States has accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, which Iran has denied. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
The UN Security Council has adopted two resolutions — one in December 2006 and the other in March of 2007 — to force Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities and to give up its nuclear programs.
The U.S. and some of its allies have never ruled out the possibility of a military attack if diplomatic means fail to solve the nuclear issue.
But local analysts said it was almost impossible in the near future after the release of a U.S. intelligence report last month that concluded Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons program in late 2003 and had not resumed it since then.