Abbasi made the remarks during an interview with reporters in Tehran on Sunday, two days after a new round of talks was held between Iranian and IAEA officials in Vienna. 

 

On Friday, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards Herman Nackaerts issued a statement in which he wrote, “The discussions today were intensive, but important differences remain between Iran and the Agency that prevented agreement on” a structured approach document to resolve all the outstanding issues. 

 

After Friday’s talks, the Iranian ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said, “Undoubtedly some progress” was made, but differences remained.

 

Abbasi stated, “Our negotiations with the agency are held based on the rights of our country and within the framework of the agency’s authority, and we will continue the negotiations. We do not want to break off the negotiations.”    

 

“Within this framework, we will continue the negotiations as long as the agency asks for it. However, they (IAEA officials) must provide a sufficient argument for inspecting the sites that they have been mentioning or must provide adequate reasons for the remarks they make so that we can be convinced,” he added.  

 

Before Friday’s talks, Nackaerts had stated, “Of course we will… ask Iran where they are with their responses to our requests for access to Parchin and other questions that we have asked Iran.”   

 

The IAEA has said that gaining access to the Parchin military site in southeastern Tehran, where it claims explosives tests relevant for the development of nuclear bombs might have taken place, is a priority for the UN nuclear watchdog. 

 

Tehran rejected requests by the IAEA delegations to inspect the Parchin site during their visits to Iran from January 29 to 31 and February 21 to 22 and has made it clear that a framework must be agreed on for any access or visit. 

 

Iran and the IAEA had met in Vienna on June 8 in an attempt to seal a framework deal on the arrangements for further investigation into Iran’s nuclear activities. 

 

AP reported on Thursday that the UN nuclear agency was forming a special team on Iran.

 

EP/PA