2/22/2012 1:43 AM ET
(RTTNews) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said early on Wednesday that talks held between its inspectors and Iranian authorities in Tehran on the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program ended without progress.
"Intensive efforts were made to reach agreement on a document facilitating the clarification of unresolved issues in connection with Iran's nuclear program. Unfortunately, agreement was not reached on this document," the IAEA said in a statement issued after its team of inspectors concluded talks in the Iranian capital.
A high-level IAEA team, led by its Deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts, arrived in Tehran on Monday for two days of talks aimed at clarifying the "possible military dimensions" of Iran's nuclear activity.
The five-member team's visit to Iran was the second in less than a month, following its November 2011 report indicating that Iran was aiming to develop atomic weapons under its disputed nuclear program. That visit also ended without a breakthrough in January.
In the course of its two-day visit that ended on Tuesday, the IAEA team was denied permission by Iranian authorities to inspect the Parchin military site, which is believed to be used for explosives testing related to setting off a nuclear weapon. The previous IAEA delegation that visited Iran in January was also denied access to the key military site.
"It is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin. We engaged in a constructive spirit, but no agreement was reached," IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said in a statement late on Tuesday.
Although a spokeswoman for the IAEA chief said no agreement was reached on holding further talks with Iran on the issue, Iran's ISNA news agency quoted Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the country's envoy to the IAEA, as saying that the Islamic Republic would hold more talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Although Iran insists that its uranium enrichment work is aimed at producing fuel for a medical-purpose reactor, the West suspects Tehran's claims are just a cover-up for producing weapon-grade uranium. Nevertheless, Tehran argues that it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as it is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA.
Iran has already survived four sets of sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council following refusal to halt its uranium enrichment. Analysts believe that Russia and China, both allies of Iran, are unlikely to support further U.N. sanctions against Tehran over the issue.
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