By IANS,
Tehran: A delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Iran to discuss the country’s controversial nuclear programme, Iranian media reported Sunday.
Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, said last week that a delegation of the UN nuclear watchdog would visit Iran Jan 29-31 “to negotiate and discuss issues raised by the IAEA”.
The IAEA delegation is led by Herman Nackaerts, RIA Novosti reported.
The visit comes amid heightened international tensions over the Iran nuclear programme.
The EU last week voted to ban oil imports from Iran. The move came after Tehran announced that it had launched a nuclear enrichment programme at a well-protected underground facility near the holy Shia city of Qom.
Western nations suspect that Iran, which is already under numerous sanctions, of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons programme. Tehran insists it needs nuclear power solely for civilian purposes.