Talks with Iran has not broken down: IAEA director

TEHRAN, June 12 (MNA) – International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said that the process of talks with Iran has not broken down. Amano made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday following the agency’s talks with Iran. On Friday, Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog held a new round of talks in Vienna in an attempt to seal a framework deal on the arrangements for further investigation into Iran’s nuclear activities. After the talks, Western media outlets reported that the talks had broken down. “We expected that we could finalize a structured approach hopefully today, but if not today then hopefully in the near future. We have been working for this in a very constructive spirit. We were ready to accommodate some of their proposals, which were stated before. We are disappointed; we don’t think the process is broken down. The talks will continue. The date is not yet fixed. We need to digest the exchange of views from today. But after today’s meeting without any progress, and with some setbacks, I cannot be in an optimistic mood,” Amano said when asked whether the talks with Iran are at an impasse. On the importance of the inspection of the Parchin military site to the agency, he said, “Parchin is a priority for us, but it is one of the issues. It is not the only issue or the issue. There are also other important issues as elaborated in the November report annex. Underplaying the importance of Parchin is wrong, but overly emphasizing the importance of Parchin would also be wrong.” The IAEA has said that gaining access to the Parchin site, which is located southeast of Tehran, is a priority for the UN nuclear watchdog. Tehran rejected requests by the IAEA delegations to inspect the Parchin military complex during their visits to Iran from January 29 to 31 and February 21 to 22 and has made it clear that a framework must be agreed on for any access or visit. On the allegations that Iran continues efforts to develop nuclear weapons technology, he said, “What we did not say (was that) Iran had nuclear weapons. We never said such. We also did not say that Iran made a decision to obtain nuclear weapons. That we also did not say. But we said that we have concerns in various areas that indicate activities that are relevant to nuclear explosive devices. And the conclusion is therefore we need to clarify. This is where we stand now. And if we cannot clarify, we get more concerned. And this ambiguous situation will continue. If we can start the clarification process and we can clarify, then our concern will decrease.” One day after the Vienna talks the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA said that Iran and the IAEA would continue talks on Tehran’s nuclear program. “The talks will continue, and the date and venue for the talks will be announced in the future,” Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh told the Mehr News Agency. On the reports claiming that the talks between Iran and the IAEA failed, the Iranian official said, “The issue is complicated and has technical and legal dimensions.” He added, “It is necessary that a framework would be prepared patiently and thoroughly in order to help inspectors and Iranian experts implement the plan without difficulty.”