Iran ready to work with IAEA to settle nuclear issues: Deputy FM

A senior Iranian diplomat says the Islamic Republic is ready to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve outstanding issues about its nuclear work.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to speed up resolution of issues through cooperation with the agency, and is prepared to resolve all these issues with the agency one after the other,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said.

Araqchi made the remarks in a meeting with Russian Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan on Saturday on the verge of the next round of bilateral and trilateral nuclear talks between Tehran and member states of the P5+1 group of countries in the Austrian capital city of Vienna.

He also praised the significant and prominent role played by the Russian and Chinese delegations in the nuclear talks.

Araqchi, who is also a top member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, also underscored the need for continued consultation among Tehran, Moscow and Beijing on the Islamic Republic’s atomic work.

The Russian ambassador, for his part, voiced Moscow’s determination to help the conclusion of a permanent nuclear deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is set to meet with EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and US Secretary of State John Kerry in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on October 15, to discuss the progress of the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and P5+1.

Zarif and Ashton are also slated to sit down for bilateral talks on Iran’s nuclear issue next Tuesday ahead of the trilateral meeting.

Tehran and P5+1 – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – wrapped up their latest round of nuclear talks in New York late last month.

The two sides are currently working to reach a final agreement aimed at ending the long-standing dispute over Tehran’s civilian nuclear work as the November 24 deadline approaches.