BICOM

P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iranian representatives met yesterday in preparation for the next round of talks between the two sides set for 16 June, but officials do not believe a deal will be possible by the 20 July deadline, according to a report by Reuters.

It is thought that wide gaps remain on a number of issues, including Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity, the Arak heavy water reactor and “possible military dimensions” to the Iranian programme.

This week has seen the quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna. The IAEA is also engaged in parallel talks with Iran to address concerns going back to a landmark IAEA report in 2011 which detailed intelligence that Iran carried out a wide range of technological projects relevant for the development of nuclear weapons. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told journalists on Monday that whilst Iran was providing information relating to IAEA suspicions, progress was slow, and Iran was still denying access to the Parchin military base, where he said “activities continue.”

Reuters reports that US officials have said Iran must allay the IAEA’s concerns in order for talks with the P5+1 to make progress. An EU statement to the IAEA quarterly meeting called on Iran “to address fully the substance of all of the agency’s concerns and to accelerate its cooperation with the agency.” Canada’s representative to the IAEA is quoted saying “Iran is moving too slowly to address these long-standing questions” over nuclear transparency.