21 Feb (NucNet): A five-member International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team has left for Iran for talks aimed at resolving “all outstanding issues” in relation to Iran’s nuclear programme.
This is the second such trip since the beginning of the year. In January meetings between the IAEA and Iran were held in Tehran when the IAEA explained its concerns about the possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Speaking in advance of the latest talks, team leader Herman Nackaerts, the IAEA’s deputy director-general for safeguards said: “This is, of course, a complex issue that may take a while, but we hope the talks will be constructive.” He said the IAEA hoped to have some “concrete results” after this trip.
In November 2011 Iran said its Bushehr nuclear plant, temporarily shut down in October 2011 for safety tests, would operate at full capacity in February 2012.
Bushehr-1, Iran’s first nuclear unit, is near the southern port city of the same name. The unit was linked to the national power grid on 12 September 2011 and began generating electricity at 40 percent of its capacity on 7 October 2011 before being shut down for tests two weeks later.
Russia’s Atomstroyexport is the general contractor for the unit. Work at the site was started in 1974 by Siemens, but was suspended in 1980 when the German government joined the US embargo on equipment supplies to Iran.
For a fact sheet on Iran, see online:
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/cnpp2009/countryprofiles/Iran/Iran2008.htm
