UN nuclear watchdog agency in talks with Iran on enhanced safeguards
The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency is holding a series of talks with senior governmental officials in Iran
following its call last month for enhanced inspections to guarantee the peaceful nature of the country's nuclear
programme after Tehran failed to disclose certain material and activities.
One team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which held talks on 5 and 6 August in Tehran, included
legal and technical experts invited by Iran to clarify aspects related to the additional protocol to comprehensive
safeguards agreements that countries conclude with the agency.
A second team, of safeguards inspectors, is going to Iran in the second week of August to clarify outstanding issues
and, as appropriate, will conduct verification activities over the course of several days. Iran has a comprehensive
safeguards agreement with the IAEA pursuant to the global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The Vienna-based IAEA said in a news release that it does not comment on the findings of ongoing safeguards activities.
It is still in the middle of a complex verification process in Iran and will be reporting to the next meeting of the
IAEA Board of Governors in September.
IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei paid a one-day visit to Tehran on 9 July in an effort to obtain an Iranian
commitment to sign an additional protocol allowing for enhanced, unannounced, on-the-spot inspections.
On 19 June, the IAEA Board called on Iran to allow environmental sampling of alleged enrichment activities and agree to
enhanced inspections. It urged Iran to "promptly and unconditionally conclude and implement an additional protocol to
its Safeguards Agreement, in order to enhance the Agency's ability to provide credible assurances regarding the peaceful
nature of Iran's nuclear activities, particularly the absence of undeclared material and activities."
Iran is a party to the NPT, which the IAEA is entrusted with verifying. The additional protocols aim to enhance IAEA's
ability to provide "credible, comprehensive assurances" regarding all NPT States. So far only 35 countries have brought
additional protocols into force.