‘No Progress’ in Iran Nuclear Talks, U.N. Inspectors Report

Source: NY Times

After a brief spurt of Western optimism, impetus toward resolving the nuclear dispute with Iran slowed further on Friday as senior inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog said they made “no progress” toward gaining access to restricted sites they suspect of being used to test potential triggers for nuclear warheads.

The assessment came after a day of talks at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna led by Herman Nackaerts, the Agency’s chief nuclear inspector, and Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the Iranian ambassador to the body.

Coming after inconclusive, broader negotiations between Iran and world powers on its disputed nuclear program in Baghdad last month, the outcome of Friday’s encounter suggested that momentum had been further diminished, even as Tehran faces an array of more onerous economic sanctions on its oil and banking sectors next month.

The outcome seemed likely to deepen suspicions among Iran’s critics that Tehran is using its contacts with outsiders to buy time as it continues nuclear enrichment efforts and possibly conceals evidence sought by international inspectors.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/09/world/middleeast/nuclear-agency-resumes-talks-with-iran-on-site-access.html