Iran’s envoy says IAEA nuke talks “constructive”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran's envoy to talks with the U.N. nuclear agency said Tuesday, May 15 the meeting was going well, as the two sides began their second day of discussion of agency suspicions that Tehran might have tested atomic arms technology, AP reported.

Iran denies such accusations, insisting its nuclear program is geared only toward producing nuclear energy. Still, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been unable to gain access to a specific site it suspects of being used for such work for three months. Overall, it has been stonewalled for more than four years on its attempt to visit such facilities, as well as interview scientists it suspects may have been involved and to look at relevant documents.

That site is at the military base of Parchin, where the IAEA believes Iran ran explosives tests used to set off a nuclear charge in 2003, in a pressure chamber that was later hidden by a building put up around it. Recent satellite imagery shows what IAEA officials believe is an attempt to clean up the site, ahead of a possible IAEA inspection.

Going into Tuesday's meeting at the Iranian mission to the IAEA and other U.N. organizations, Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh told reporters "everything is on the right track." He described the atmosphere as "very constructive," adding that talks on Monday were "good."

IAEA chief negotiator Herman Nackaerts said he could not comment on ongoing talks.