IAEA Stresses Need To Inspect Iran’s Parchin Base
The International Atomic Energy Agency says access to Iran’s Parchin Military Base will be a top priority in the next round of nuclear talks with Iran.
Reuters reports that IAEA chief Yukio Amano said on May 5 that negotiators have not yet received any positive response to their request to inspect the Parchin Military Base, but the IAEA is determined to follow through.
The IAEA is concerned that Iran may have used the Parchin site for nuclear explosion tests.
Western diplomats have accused Iran of stalling around the inspection of Parchin, but Iranian authorities maintain that there needs to be a protocol in place, and a broader framework of how to address the IAEA concerns must be agreed upon before the base can be opened up to inspection.
Iranian representatives and the IAEA will hold talks in Vienna on May 14 and 15, one week in advance of negotiations with the G5+1.
Amano told reporters: “In my reading, the desire to resolve this Iranian issue through dialogue is stronger now than before.” He added, however: “Recently we have witnessed a positive atmosphere but we need to have concrete results.”
Iran has recently resumed talks with the G5+1 on the nuclear issues, and so far both sides have described the outcome as positive.
