Iran N-bomb probe may be completed in 2015: IAEA

‘With the cooperation from Iran I think we can issue a report by the end of the year.’

VIENNA: A long-delayed investigation into whether Iran has sought to develop nuclear weapons could be completed by the end of the year with Tehran’s help, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said on Saturday.

Following his talks in Tehran earlier this week, UN watchdog chief Yukiya Amano said “progress was made on the way forward, but more work is needed.”

“With the cooperation from Iran I think we can issue a report by the end of the year on the ... clarification of the issues related to possible military dimensions,” Amano told reporters before heading into talks with global powers in Vienna.

His comments could mark a breakthrough in one of the thorniest issues still blocking an agreement with Iranian leaders after almost two years of intense negotiations.

Both Iran and the United States have said that the talks are in the endgame, as they inch towards a deal.

But Iran has long denied accusations that it has sought to develop a nuclear bomb and has so far refused to give UN inspectors access to sensitive military sites to verify its claims.

The standoff has stalled a probe by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into the allegations that before 2003, and possibly since, Iran conducted research work into developing nuclear weapons.

Ayear and half of nuclear talks between Iran and major powers were creeping toward the finish line on Friday as negotiators wrestled with sticking points including questions about Tehran’s past atomic research.

Iran is in talks with the United States and five other powers — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — on an agreement to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

“We are coming to the end,” said a senior Western diplomat, who added there was no plan to carry on for long past next Tuesday. “Either we get an agreement or we don’t.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said