TEHRAN—Iran and the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday they had made progress in talks about Tehran's offer of more transparency aimed at defusing a row over Iran's nuclear programme.
After two days of talks in Tehran, the two sides said they had agreed a timeline on answering outstanding questions about Iran's nuclear ambitions, which the West believes is aimed at building atomic bombs. Iran insists its plans are peaceful.
But the United States, leading efforts to isolate Iran, has said Tehran must not only cooperate with the U.N. atomic watchdog but also halt sensitive nuclear work, a step Iranian officials have rejected, if it wants to avoid a third round of U.N. sanctions.
"We have in front of us ... a work plan. We agreed on modalities on how to implement it. We have a timeline for the implementation," IAEA deputy director Olli Heinonen said after the talks, which he described as "good, constructive".
Heinonen did not give details of the timeline although he said: "I think this was an important milestone ... But this process will take its time."
Heinonen said details of the agreement reached on Tuesday would be included in a report for the IAEA board in September.
Iran agreed in June to draw up an action plan within 60 days to grant more access to its nuclear sites for inspectors of the Vienna-based IAEA and clear up longstanding agency questions about the nature and scope of the programme.
The IAEA has long complained that Iran has stonewalled its inquiries into the murky history and scope of Tehran's nuclear programme and curbed inspector movements, preventing the agency from giving Tehran a clean bill of health.
'We Are Serious'
"We have a basic framework of agreement between Iran and the agency," Iranian deputy nuclear negotiator Javad Vaeedi told the joint news conference, saying talks yielded "great results", according to a translation of his words by Iran's PRESS TV.
"We are serious about implementing this," he added.
The latest talks were due to tackle some of the thorniest issues such as the origin of traces of highly enriched—or bomb-grade—uranium found on some equipment and the status of research into advanced centrifuges used in enrichment.
Iran and the IAEA previously met in July and earlier this month. After the July talks, Tehran allowed U.N. inspectors to revisit the Arak heavy-water reactor under construction. Tehran had cut off access in April in protest at U.N. sanctions.
The United Nations has imposed two sets of sanctions since December because of Iran's failure to halt uranium enrichment, a process which can make fuel for power plants or bomb material.
Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, says it wants to generate nuclear electricity and save oil and gas for export. It insists it has the right to enrich uranium for fuel.
Washington insists Iran halt enrichment, in line with demands by the U.N. Security Council, or face more penalties.
"We intend to push it (tougher U.N. sanctions) very, very hard and we certainly will never agree that because Iran has some meetings with the IAEA, we should stop all of our efforts," U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said on Monday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made clear his country would not bow to pressure and stop enrichment.
"The enemies are not able anymore to cause obstacles for Iran's developments in the nuclear issue," he said in Ardebil, northwest Iran, the Fars News Agency reported.
Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said on Monday Iran would retaliate if hit by more punitive measures, without describing a specific response. Iran has previously reduced cooperation with the IAEA when more sanctions were imposed.
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