The International Atomic Energy Agency has announced that there was no progress in talks with Iran on Friday June 8, referring to the outcome of the meeting as “disappointing.”
Reuters reports that after an eight-hour meeting in Vienna, Herman Nackaerts, the global head of inspections for the IAEA, told a press conference that no date has been set for further talks.
Nackaerts reported that the IAEA had hoped to finalize a draft agreement addressing its stated concerns about Iran’s nuclear activities.
“However, there has been no progress,” he said: “And, indeed, Iran raised issues that we have already discussed and other new ones. This is disappointing.”
The IAEA has been calling for access to Iran’s Parchin military base, which, according to unconfirmed intelligence, may have been the site of nuclear tests. Iran denies the allegations, constantly insisting that its nuclear program is peaceful.
The Iranian envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told reporters after the meeting: “This is a very complicated issue. We have decided to continue our work and we are going to decide on the venue and date soon… and we hope that we will be able to conclude this structured approach.”
Speaking about Parchin, he said: “That is, in fact, one of the problems. The more you politicize an issue that was purely technical, it creates an obstacle and damages the atmosphere.”
Iran will meet with world powers for further nuclear negotiations on June 18, and some analysts say that Iran’s complete cooperation with the IAEA tops the list of the G5+1’s demands.
The world powers are also concerned about Iran’s uranium-enrichment activities and want a major reduction or perhaps complete suspension of that enrichment.
Iran, on the other hand, is looking for an easing of sanctions and the recognition of its right to the peaceful exploitation of nuclear power.
