Iran to Boost Cooperation with IAEA: Official

Tehran’s main objective is to engage more directly with the IAEA, which in turn would help relieve political pressure on the UN nuclear watchdog, Behrouz Kamalvandi announced on Friday.

Pointing to the political pressure that members of the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) may impose on the UN nuclear body during Iran-Sextet talks, Kamalvandi said Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA could settle that problem.

Iran and the six major world powers (also known as P5+1 or E3+3) wrapped up the latest round of talks on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program in Vienna on Thursday.

The two sides are slated to hold another round of negotiations in Austria from March 17 to 20.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kamalvandi stated that Iran has managed to move the nuclear talks with the G5+1 in the desired direction.

“It seems that both parties are satisfied… though negotiations are very hard and they need many more expert level talks, so that we can get into the issues in more details and define a framework for the negotiations,” he added.

Also on November 24, 2013, Iran and the sextet of world powers signed a six-month deal on Tehran’s nuclear program in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Based on the interim deal (the Joint Plan of Action), the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to suspend its 20% enrichment for a period of six months.

Meanwhile, the latest report by the IAEA, released on Thursday, stated that Iran has remained committed to the Geneva nuclear deal.

The IAEA report also confirmed that Iran is thus far following the terms of the six-month deal, reducing stockpiles of enriched uranium and granting unprecedented access.

“The measures implemented by Iran and the further commitments it has undertaken represent appositive step forward,” the report added.