IAEA-Iran agreement to solve nuclear standoff

NEW YORK: The United Nations nuclear watchdog has reached an agreement with Iran to allow new inspections and safeguards at some of Tehran's key facilities.
 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors will visit the heavy water research reactor at Arak by the end of this month and will also finalise the safeguards approach at the fuel enrichment plant in Natanz early next month, the IAEA said in a statement on Friday.
 
Iran and the IAEA also agreed on the designation of new agency inspectors, it said.
 
The deal followed a two-day visit to Iran by a team of IAEA experts, lead by Olli Heinonen, the agency's Deputy Director General for Safeguards.
 
The visit followed last month's meeting between IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

 The IAEA and Iran have also agreed to hold another meeting in early August on steps to resolve remaining issues pertaining to the country's past plutonium experiments.
 
Tehran has stated that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but western countries contend that it is driven by military ambitions.