Iran, IAEA see progress in atomic transparency talks

Two days of talks between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog on an Iranian offer of more nuclear transparency made progress and discussions will continue in the next few weeks, both sides said yesterday.

Iran has offered to draw up an "action plan" to address Western suspicions that its nuclear programme is a front to obtain nuclear arms. Tehran says it needs nuclear technology only to generate power.

The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it cannot be sure of Iran's intentions until several questions about its plans have been answered.

Western diplomats have said the US and its European allies suspect Tehran may be trying to buy time to develop its programme. They say Iran failed last year to make good on a promise of a timetable within three weeks to resolve IAEA doubts, and ask why it now wants 60 days to do so.

"We had serious and good meetings. These talks were to reach modalities to resolve outstanding issues. We had constructive and good progress," Javad Vaeedi, Iran's deputy nuclear negotiator who headed the Iranian team, told a news conference.

IAEA deputy director Olli Heinonen spoke of "good results" in the joint news conference. He said agreement was reached on four or five points but he did not specify them.

IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei has said the transparency offer, combined with what the IAEA has said was a slowdown in Iran's uranium enrichment work, had raised hopes of defusing the row.