IAEA: Iran Has Not Responded to Questions About Suspicious Nuclear Research

Amid the most sensitive round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reiterated that the Islamic Republic has failed to address ambiguities regarding its suspicious nuclear research. The IAEA, which is the verification authority for Iran's nuclear program, announced that Tehran did not respond by the deadline to two critical questions about research suspected to have been conducted in the past that could be related to the development of nuclear weapons. According to Reuters, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, stated on Thursday morning, November 29, at a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna: "Iran has not provided explanations that would enable the Agency to clarify the significant practical activities of this country." The IAEA Director General has urged Iran to "enhance its cooperation with the Agency for timely access to all information, documents, facilities, materials, and personnel related to the nuclear program." The night before these remarks, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, stated that the Islamic Republic "will not accept any special inspections or processes" of its nuclear facilities. In a separate reaction, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, expressed hope for the "wise behavior of the opposite side in negotiations," saying: "We are constantly cooperating, [but] they are making tougher statements." The IAEA Director General's remarks in Vienna coincided with the ongoing final negotiations of delegations from Iran, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and Germany in the same city. Meanwhile, Radio Farda's correspondent in Vienna reports that John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, will arrive in Vienna on Thursday night after meeting with his French and Saudi counterparts in Paris. According to Hannah Kavyani, a Radio Farda reporter, what is being discussed in Vienna among analysts and diplomats is that all efforts to reach a final agreement by the December 3 deadline are underway, but before a possible extension of the negotiation deadline, "a series of actions must be agreed upon."