IAEA's deputy chief to visit Tehran: Media

Tehran, Aug 11 (IANS) The deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Iran on Monday, reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

According to the report, the foreign minister made the remarks in an address to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting.

Araghchi stressed that the visit would be aimed at holding negotiations between Iran and the agency, noting that Iran had already provided the IAEA with the necessary explanations about a new framework for bilateral cooperation in view of a law passed in late June by the country's parliament and Constitutional Council on the suspension of collaborations, Xinhua news agency reported.

He emphasised that no inspection or visit of the Iranian nuclear facilities had been planned during the trip by the IAEA's deputy director general, saying, "We have not yet reached a new agreement and the cooperation would not begin."

Iran decided to suspend cooperation with the IAEA in the aftermath of the Israeli-US attacks on its nuclear facilities and Israel's assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists in June. Iran has announced that it would uphold the decision unless the security of its nuclear sites and scientists were ensured.

In an earlier report, the semi-official Fars news agency said that Massimo Aparo, IAEA's deputy director general and head of the Department of Safeguards, will visit Iran.

--IANS

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