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Tehran: UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohammad Al Baradei sought clarity from Iran yesterday about an atomic programme the West fears may ultimately yield warheads.
A diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said an IAEA probe stonewalled by Iran for years until August had entered a final phase addressing US intelligence about past, covert attempts to "weaponise" atomic material.
Al Baradei was to meet the head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, on Friday.
Today, his meetings include talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.
"Regarding the active cooperation of Iran with [IAEA] and resolving ... important matters about Iran's nuclear issue, Tehran's relations with the agency have entered a new phase," the deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Saeedi, told the official Irna news agency.
It was Al Baradei's first trip to Tehran in almost two years. His last visit in April 2006 made no headway in getting Iran to be transparent about a programme it maintains is meant only to generate energy.
Senior Iranian legislator Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Al Baradei's visit was "positive" and that expanding ties with IAEA was "helpful for Iran", Irna also reported.
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