Iran expects ‘progress’ in UN nuclear talks – Israel News, Ynetnews
Iran expects ‘progress’ in UN nuclear talks – Israel News, Ynetnews.
Tehran’s ambassador to IAEA says ‘we are serious in these talks,’ but Western diplomat sees ‘no room for optimism’
Reuters
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Iran expects progress will be made in talks this week with the United Nations’ atomic agency, Tehran’s nuclear envoy said on Monday, but Western diplomats held out little hope of an end to the deadlock.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been trying for more than a year to coax Iran into letting it resume a stalled investigation into suspected atomic bomb research by Tehran, which denies any aims to make nuclear weapons.
Wednesday’s talks in Vienna will be the 10th round of negotiations between the two sides since early 2012, so far without an agreement that would give the IAEA the access to sites, officials and documents it says it needs for its inquiry.
“We have the meeting with the expectation of progress of course,” Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s, told Reuters. “We are serious in these talks.”
But a Western diplomat, also based in the Austrian capital, said he saw “no reason at all for optimism” in view of a series of failed meetings in the last 17 months. Other envoys also said they did not expect any breakthrough.
In May one year ago, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said after visiting Tehran that he expected to sign a deal with Iran soon to unblock the inquiry, but that hope was later dashed.
Western officials accuse Iran of stonewalling the IAEA, and of seeking to restrict the ability of UN inspectors to carry out their investigation the way they want.
Previous round of nuclear talks with Iran (Archive photo: EPA)
Iran says the demands for access go beyond its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and that the allegations against it are based on forged intelligence.
The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from, but still closely linked to, broader diplomatic negotiations between Tehran and six world powers aimed at resolving the decade-old dispute peacefully and prevent a new Middle East war.
Israel and the United States have warned of possible military action against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail to make it curb its nuclear program.
Tehran says the program is a purely peaceful project to generate electricity.
Iran and the six powers – the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China – failed to break the diplomatic impasse in their last meeting, held in early April in Kazakhstan.
Also on Wednesday, negotiators from the European Union and Iran will meet in Istanbul to discuss these diplomatic efforts, although analysts do not expect any substantive negotiations before Iran’s presidential election on June 14.
Some diplomats say Iran is merely using the talks with the IAEA for leverage in the separate negotiations with world powers which, unlike the IAEA, have the power to ease sanctions that are hurting its oil-dependent economy.
The IAEA’s immediate priority is to visit the Parchin military base. It suspects explosives tests relevant to nuclear weapons may have taken place there, perhaps a decade ago, and then been concealed. Tehran denies the accusation.
Iran says it must first agree with the IAEA on how the investigation should be carried out before allowing such access.
“Nothing will happen until this framework is negotiated and agreed upon,” Soltanieh said.
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WarSclerotic 
May 13, 2013 at 6:15 PM
“Nothing will happen until this framework is negotiated and agreed upon,” Soltanieh said.
Can´t accuse the Iranians of being inconsistent… They have made their positions clear and won´t budge an inch. The ball is in the US-Israel court.
May 13, 2013 at 8:38 PM
Consistently deceitful, yes.
May 13, 2013 at 9:04 PM
Yes, the ”Renbe”s are right. The iranian balls are in the israeli court. I dont know how those balls get there, but take care.
May 14, 2013 at 11:50 AM
Ah ! The perils of overconfidence !
When they start feeling a firm grip around them, it will be too late to react. The next second they will be crushed.
May 13, 2013 at 9:38 PM
Renbe,
If you don’t mind me asking, what country are you from?
May 13, 2013 at 9:43 PM
You did not know Renbe is the official voice of the RGC,SO YOUR TALKING TO THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENTS SIS,we just take the micky out of him,but he is not really a bad guy,he just works for them
May 13, 2013 at 9:24 PM
The Iranians are expecting progress for decades.
I am no prophet but I can tell you that you can bet your dollars (or your beard) that this time will be no different. You have a very high chance of winning.
At best they will agree to further talks.
Coming from renbe, the master of consistent thought and arguments, that has got to be a joke.
May 14, 2013 at 2:40 AM
Poor Renbe would probably be put to death by his own government if they thought he wasn’t doing his job.
He knows this- and perhaps fears for his family as well. If I were him, I would seek to leave such a place right away along with my family.
May 14, 2013 at 2:26 PM
yea thats more of less what we all think about renbe,like i say hes no bad guy i said to real unpleasant stuff to him in the past but i wouldn’t now i do have a giggle at his expense,but i have to say i would sit down and talk to him face to face if he offered