BICOM

Representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrive in Iran today for a fresh round of talks over the inspection of Tehran’s nuclear facilities, in the third such visit in the past three months.

The IAEA, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, is particularly keen to visit the Parchin site southeast of Tehran, to investigate whether it has been used to test components needed to develop nuclear weapons. Iran, which denies the allegations, has refused to grant IAEA inspectors access to Parchin. Speaking before travelling to Iran, the IAEA’s chief inspector Herman Nackaerts told reporters, “Differences remain… we will work hard to try to resolve these differences.”

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, “The prospect of reaching an agreement with the agency is bright, if Iran’s nuclear rights are recognized,” and that “Discussion over visiting Parchin could be part of a deal.”

Mehmanparast also said that Iran had begun converting medium-enriched uranium into reactor fuel, effectively reducing its nuclear stockpile. Some media reports speculate that such a reduction would prevent Iran from imminently crossing the ‘red line’ set by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September, which he indicated could precipitate military intervention. However, it is unclear exactly how much material has been converted, while Iran recently confirmed that it is installing advanced centrifuges at the Natanz plant, which will potentially speed up the production of fissile material.

Meanwhile, the IAEA visit will be closely watched in advance of the resumption of parallel talks later this month to reach a broader diplomatic settlement between Iran and the P5+1 powers – United States, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany – who are tasked with leading the international effort to resolve concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.