Iran, IAEA begin new round of talks in Vienna

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) started a new round of talks in Vienna, Austria, on Friday to discuss issues pertaining to Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran and the IAEA resumed their fresh talks in Vienna ten hours after the historic ministerial level nuclear talks between the Islamic Republic and the six world powers in New York. Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Reza Najafi headed the Iranian delegation in talks with a group of the agency’s experts. Najafi replaced Iran’s former ambassador to IAEA Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh shortly after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came to power. Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Ministry Marziyeh Afkham had informed reporters of the start of the new round of negotiations between Iran and the IAEA. Stressing that Iran is determined to cooperate with the IAEA, she said, "The trend of interactions is also good and we hope that this transparent cooperation will continue with pragmatism and positive assessment." Afkham underlined that the Islamic Republic seeks to materialize its rights based on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and said, "We want mutual cooperation with the IAEA." Iran and the IAEA last met in Vienna on May 15. The meeting, which was the 10th of its kind, was presided by former Iranian envoy to the UN nuclear watchdog agency (Soltaniyeh) and IAEA deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts. Iran appointed Najafi as its new envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency late in August. Soltaniyeh served as Iran's permanent representative at the UN nuclear watchdog for nearly a decade. Najafi, a career diplomat, has served as deputy director-general of the foreign ministry’s political and international bureau and head of the ministry’s disarmament office. The IAEA is the world's center of cooperation in the nuclear field. It was set up as the world’s “Atoms for Peace” organization in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The IAEA Secretariat is headquartered at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna, Austria. Operational liaison and regional offices are located in Geneva, Switzerland; New York, USA; Toronto, Canada; and Tokyo, Japan. The IAEA runs or supports research centers and scientific laboratories in Vienna and Seibersdorf, Austria; Monaco; and Trieste, Italy.