Iran Will Expand on Nuclear Pledges
Iran will firm up pledges this week to allow surprise inspections of suspect nuclear sites and announce when it will suspend uranium enrichment, the head of the U.N. nuclear agency and a top Iranian official said Saturday.
Working to deflect the possibility of international sanctions, Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with Hassan Rowhani, leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
ElBaradei told reporters later that Rowhani reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to allowing more intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities and suspending uranium enrichment. Iran made those pledges under pressure to prove it is not trying to make nuclear arms, but it had not specified a time frame.
“Next week, we will get a letter from Iran on the conclusion of the additional protocol,” which -- if approved by Iran’s parliament -- would allow IAEA inspectors to investigate nuclear activities hitherto off-limits, ElBaradei said.
Rowhani also promised a letter this week “on Iran’s agreement to suspend all enrichment activities and reprocessing activities,” ElBaradei said.
Rowhani said he would announce this week a firm date for the start of a moratorium on uranium enrichment.
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