IAEA Reports Improved Cooperation With Iran

Iran has improved its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA’s acting chief said on Friday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors and verifies Iran’s nuclear deal with major powers, told Tehran last month that “time is of the essence” in addressing what it describes in its jargon as concerns about the completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations to the agency.
Acting IAEA Director General Cornel Feruta, who is heading the agency provisionally after the death of its longtime chief Yukiya Amano in July, reported progress on Friday, Reuters reported.
“Some engagement is ongoing and this engagement is currently taking place,” Feruta told reporters, adding that this new engagement was in relation to his call in September for action by Iran, though he declined to go into specifics.
The IAEA official said progress was the result of meetings with various senior Iranian officials in recent weeks.
“This is an ongoing process ... I cannot prejudge how this is going to end. The engagement doesn’t mean that the issues are completely addressed, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Feruta said.
At the same time, Iran has vowed to continue to scale down its adherence to the deal’s restrictions on its nuclear activities step by step in response to US economic sanctions imposed on it since Washington pulled out of the deal last month.
The United States asserts that its sanctions will force Iran to the negotiating table as Washington seeks a more far-reaching agreement addressing Iran’s ballistic missile program and its role in Middle East conflicts.
Iran says it will not negotiate unless US sanctions are lifted.