More IAEA inspectors arrive in Iran

Xinhuanet:

Four more inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived here Saturday to monitor Iran's nuclear activities, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. READ MORE

The inspectors are due to visit Iran's various nuclear sites including the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility, and hold talks with officials of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, the report said.

They will also present their findings to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei for a report on Sept. 3 on Iran's compliance to the latest IAEA resolution adopted on Thursday, the report added.

On Monday, a group of inspectors arrived at Iran's uranium conversion facilities in the central city of Isfahan to install surveillance equipment, which allows the IAEA to supervise Tehran's performances after its resumption of sensitive nuclear activities.

Iran restarted part of the facilities soon after the inspectors finished installing some of the equipment Monday afternoon. Regardless of warnings of the European Union (EU) and the United States, Iran unsealed and fully restarted Isfahan facilities on Wednesday.

The IAEA Board of Governors on Thursday approved a resolution on the Iranian nuclear file, which voices "serious concern" over Iran's recent resumption of uranium conversion activities and urges Iran to "re-establish full suspension of all enrichment-related activities."

The resolution also requests ElBaradei to provide a comprehensive report on the implementation of Iran's Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement and the resolution by Sept. 3.

Iran has rejected the resolution as politically motivated and tyrannical but voiced readiness to continue talks with the EU and cooperation with the IAEA.

Iran suspended enrichment activities last November under an agreement reached with the European trio of Britain, France and Germany in Paris one month earlier, but insisted that the suspension be a "voluntary and temporary move" for confidence building and subject to resumption under Tehran's will.

The EU trio has been trying but in vain to persuade Iran to permanently halt uranium enrichment activities in order to provide objective guarantees that its nuclear research will not be used for military purposes.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons secretly, a charge denied by Tehran.