Iran’s Zarif offers IAEA supervision of nuclear program

Bloomberg: Iran’s nuclear program must remain peaceful and be conducted under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with state-controlled PressTV.
Bloomberg

By Kambiz Foroohar

Iran’s nuclear program must remain peaceful and be conducted under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with state-controlled PressTV.

Zarif’s comment comes a day after President Hassan Rohani said Iran plans to restart nuclear talks with world powers in New York when he attends the United Nations General Assembly this month. On Sept. 9, Zarif said he was ready to meet with China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K. and U.S. to resolve the nuclear issue.

“The U.S. can play a key role in the success of the talks or their failure,” said Zarif, who last week replaced Saeed Jalili as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator. “The Islamic Republic seeks negotiations to find a solution and therefore it is important for us that talks begin properly.”

Joseph Macmanus, the U.S. envoy to the IAEA said Washington was ready to work with Rohani’s government to “reach a diplomatic solution that will fully address the international community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program.”

Iran has continued to expand its nuclear enrichment capability by installing advanced centrifuges, the agency said. The UN’s atomic watchdog said Sept. 9 that Iran wasn’t cooperating with IAEA inspectors.