IAEA Team to Visit Tehran Next Week

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Wednesday, March 4, that a team led by the agency's chief inspector is scheduled to visit Tehran on March 9 for discussions. According to a statement from the IAEA, 'the agency and Iran have agreed to hold a technical meeting in Tehran on March 9, 2015.' The delegation will be headed by 'Tero Varjoranta,' the Deputy Director General and Head of the Agency's Safeguards Department. Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, stated on Monday that as the deadline for the nuclear deal approaches, the agency still cannot provide a precise timeline for reviewing Iran's nuclear activities. Mr. Amano remarked, 'Everything depends on the level and speed of Iran's cooperation. I cannot say that as the negotiation deadline approaches, we will also conclude our reviews.' He added, 'We have asked our questions very clearly so that they [the Iranians] can respond.' Last week, Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, met with Yukiya Amano in Vienna, and the agency reported that 'the meeting was useful and facilitated better understanding between the two sides.' In addition to its numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, the agency is also demanding that Tehran respond to allegations regarding the Islamic Republic's past efforts to 'build a nuclear bomb.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has denied these accusations, and the agency's investigations in this area have stalled after some progress last year, with the last technical meeting on this issue held in November. The agency's efforts to verify the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program are part of confidence-building measures that could also assist the negotiation process between Iran and Western powers. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated on Wednesday regarding the progress of the latest negotiations with his American counterpart that 'we have made progress, but much work remains.' On the same day, an unnamed senior U.S. official told the Associated Press that the likelihood of the negotiating parties reaching a preliminary and formal agreement this month has decreased.