A team from the international nuclear watchdog on Sunday inspected a key atomic reactor in Iran, the Fars news agency reported, two weeks after a deal between Tehran and six world powers that foresees easing sanctions on Iran.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wanted to remain at the heavy-water plant in Arak until the afternoon and then fly back to Vienna, Behrus Kamalwandi, spokesman for Iran’s nuclear organisation, told the agency.
The West feared the plant under construction at Arak, 300 kilometres south-west of Tehran, could be used to produce plutonium for an atomic bomb.
The inspectors were expected to release their findings from Vienna, the headquarters of the IAEA.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the IAEA inspectors also inspected the uranium mine at Gachin.
"That is part of the six measures that was agreed to with the IAEA that we want to implement step by step," the number two on Iran’s nuclear team said.
The details are to be discussed on Wednesday in Vienna. As long as these six measures are carried out in the next 11 weeks, both sides would discuss further steps, Araghchi was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.
The inspections were agreed in a deal between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. The agreement seeks to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for easing some crippling sanctions. The two sides still have to reach a final agreement on settling the nuclear dispute.
As part of last month’s agreement, Iran handed over information Saturday to the IAEA on new centrifuges used at uranium-enrichment facilities in Natanz and Fordo.