UN Inspectors to Visit Iran's Gachin Uranium Mine before February
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that its inspectors plan to visit Iran’s southern Gachin uranium mine before February 11, 2014, the first inspection of the mine since 2005.
The IAEA confirmed the news following a meeting with the Iranian delegates in Vienna, which it deemed "productive," Xinhua reported Saturday.
The two parties will meet again in Tehran on January 21, where IAEA Deputy Director General Tero Varjoranta said he hopes to achieve further progress with the Islamic Republic on its nuclear program, Austria Press Agency reported.
The inspection, or "managed access" of the mine is among six practical measures Iran agreed on November 11 to meet within the following three months, and is separate from the agreement it made with the six world powers on November 24, where it agreed to slow down certain aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for a partial easing of sanctions by foreign nations.
The other measures to be carried out within three months concerned provision of information about uranium enrichment plants and research reactors Iran has said it plans to build.
On Sunday, December 8, the IAEA was allowed to visit the Arak heavy-water plant for the first time in two years, a facility that is linked to a reactor under construction in the same city.
Iran has always asserted that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes, and that it has never had anything to hide in that respect.
