Salehi who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said Tehran and the agency had signed a joint statement in this regard.
“This joint statement outlines a road map that clarifies bilateral cooperation on the outstanding issues,” Salehi noted.
The AEOI chief said the statement included an annex with six articles, adding that Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA was within the framework of the Safeguards Agreement.
Salehi underlined that Iran will, on a voluntary basis, allow IAEA inspectors to visit the Arak heavy water plant and the Gachin mine in Bandar Abbas, in southern Iran, despite the fact that Tehran is under no such obligation to do so under the Safeguards Agreement. Uranium mining operations at Gachin, started in 2004. The first consignment of yellow cake was shipped from Gachin mine to Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) in December 2010
Iran’s decision to allow the inspectors to visit the sites is aimed at proving the country’s determination and readiness to resolve the “fabricated nuclear case,” Salehi added.
He noted Tehran is ready to be more flexible on the issue and will not allow others to find a pretext to impede the progress of the talks.
Publish Date: 11 November 2013 - 20:17
Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have agreed on a road map for more cooperation, Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi says.