Watchdog, Iranian president to meet
• The United Nations atomic agency’s chief will meet Iran’s president Thursday, in an effort to “accelerate” probes into the country’s nuclear past that may hinder an accord with world powers.
Yukiya Amano, directorgeneral of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will hold talks with Hassan Rouhani in Tehran. He will also meet Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a key official with oversight of the military, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.
“Discussions are expected to address ongoing co-operation between the IAEA and the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the agency said. They will seek “to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, including clarification of possible military dimensions.”
The trip comes as world powers use the seven-day window created by Tuesday’s decision to extend negotiations on the nuclear deal amid differences on how much access Iran must give Amano’s agency and other disputes.
To receive full sanctions relief under an agreement, the IAEA will need to provide an assessment of possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear past. The agency will also need to verify and monitor implementation of any deal.
Amano’s meeting with Shamkhani is significant because the IAEA has sought information about links between Iran’s military and its civilian nuclear program. The agency has also long sought to re-visit Iran’s Parchin military complex, where investigators claim to have credible
Including clarification of possible military dimensions
evidence that nuclear-related experiments took place.
Since allowing the IAEA two visits to Parchin in 2005, which did not yield any evidence of violations, Iran has rejected requests for inspectors to return, citing concerns over national security.
Shamkhani, a former military commander who was defence minister for eight years until 2005, may be able to help the agency conclude its investigation.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are continuing talks in the Austrian capital. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will rejoin the talks Thursday.