IAEA says verification of nuclear activities in Iran making ‘good progress’

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said today that its verification work in Iran is making “good progress” a week after Tehran turned over a dossier on its nuclear activities.

Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said he would report on the Agency’s findings on Iran to the IAEA’s Board of Governors later in November. That Board had given Iran until today to comply with requests for information on its nuclear programmes. On 23 October Iran sent to Mr. ElBaradei a dossier on its nuclear activities.

In a statement released from the IAEA’s Vienna headquarters today, Mr. ElBaradei said that after receiving the packet, “We immediately started an intensive verification process and are making good progress.”

Mr. ElBaradei added that the Agency’s inspectors “are currently in Iran visiting sites, interviewing key personnel and taking samples with a view to verifying the accuracy and completeness of this declaration.”

He said he also had been informed that by next week Iran would formally comply with an additional protocol on nuclear issues.

“When this happens,” he said, “it will be a very positive step forward, particularly in terms of enabling us to effectively regulate all future nuclear activities in Iran.”