Iran - IAEA showing signs of progress

 

 

The contentious issue regarding the nuclear development of Iran is supposed to lessen with the new round of talks with IAEA.The UN nuclear watch dog and Iran reached a preliminary agreement on structured approach at the meeting in Tehran last Thursday over Iran's disputed nuclear activities, diplomats said.
Both International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran announced progress was made in Thursday's talk towards an agreement the IAEA believes would allow the agency to resume inquiry into the nuclear facilities in Iran.

The IAEA told the member states in a note that it looked forward to finalize the framework in the new round of discussions in Tehran on January 16, and start implementing it soon.

However, for both sides, Parchin issue would be the key barrier in the tough talks, as Iran requests the site should be closed since the questions had been addressed, and remain "a history of investigation."
The IAEA urges Iran to open access to Parchin, saying Tehran might have conducted explosive experiment which is suspected to link to Iran's nuclear program, and suggests Iran is now removing those evidence.

 History:
The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program.The participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution that toppled the Shah of Iran.
After the 1979 revolution, the clandestine research program was disbanded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had serious religious reservations about nuclear weapons, which he considered evil in terms of Muslim jurisprudence.Small scale research restarted during the Iran-Iraq War, and underwent significant expansion after the Ayatollah's death in 1989. Iran's nuclear program has included several research sites, two uranium mines, a research reactor, and uranium processing facilities that include three known uranium enrichment plants.
Iran's first nuclear power plant, Bushehr I reactor was complete with major assistance of Russian government agency Rosatom and officially opened on 12 September 2011. Iran has announced that it is working on a new 360 MW nuclear power plant to be located in Darkhovin. Iran has also indicated that it will seek more medium-sized nuclear power plants and uranium mines in the future.