Iran, IAEA to continue talks: Iranian IAEA ambassador

TEHRAN,May 18(MNA) – Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency will continue their talks over the country’s nuclear program, the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA said after the end of a meeting between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna on Wednesday. In addition, Ali Asghar Soltanieh said that no date had been set for future talks. Soltanieh led the Iranian delegation in the talks and IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts was the head of the UN nuclear agency’s delegation. The talks were held at Iran’s diplomatic mission in the Austrian capital. Wednesday’s talks in Vienna were the 10th round of negotiations between Iran and the IAEA since early 2012, so far without any agreement for further investigation into Iran’s nuclear program. The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from, but closely linked to, broader diplomatic negotiations between Tehran and six world powers aimed at resolving the decade-old dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program. According to Reuters, Soltanieh also said that both sides had put forward proposals during “intensive technical discussions” and the aim was to bridge the differences in future talks. Nackaerts also said, “We had intensive discussions today but did not finalize the structured approach document that has been under negotiation for a year and a half now,” referring to a long-sought framework deal for the investigation. “Our commitment to continue dialogue is unwavering. However, we must recognize that our best efforts have not been successful so far. So we will continue to try and complete this process,” he added.