Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

After two days of talks in Tehran U.N. nuclear inspectors returned from Iran on Friday without reaching an agreement to investigate suspected atom bomb research, they said, Reuters reported.

Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said his inspectors had not been granted the access they have long sought to a military.

Before the visit to Iran, Nackaerts had said the IAEA inspectors hoped to get a permission to visit the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran where it believes explosives tests relevant for nuclear weapons development may have taken place.

"We had two days of intensive discussions. Differences remain so we could not finalize the structured approach to resolve the outstanding issues regarding possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program," Nackaerts told reporters at Vienna airport.

But Iran dismissed allegations about clandestine nuclear activities at Parchin, calling it "baseless".

"Parchin is a military site and continues its own specific activities without having anything to do with [Iran's] nuclear work," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said earlier this week.

The IAEA, whose mission is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, has been trying for a year to negotiate a so-called structured approach with Iran giving the inspectors access to sites, officials and documents for their long-stalled inquiry.

The talks, which ended on Thursday, were led by Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh and Herman Nackaerts and were focused on finding a structured framework for mutual cooperation.

In the meantime, the next round of talks between the IAEA and Iran would be held on February 12 in the Iranian capital.

The talks with the IAEA came ahead of a new meeting between Iran and the P5+1 powers -- the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said later that there was an understanding among the parties involved that the meeting should take place this month, and that the dates reported by ISNA news agency- January 28-29 - were being discussed.

But it said the dates could change if there is no agreement on the venue, and added that Russia was open to any venue.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday that the date and venue for talks between Iran and the P5+1 group have not been decided as yet, but Iran will continue negotiations to make an accord with the world powers on the issue, IRNA news agency reported.

Michael Mann, a spokesman for Catherine Ashton also said the consultations to prepare the next round of talks are ongoing. "We are still consulting on the date and the venue," he said.

Besides, Russia said on Thursday it is trying to firm up plans for a new round of talks this month between global powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, Reuters reported.

"Russia is concerned about this and we continue to work, including with our Iranian partners, to resolve this issue as soon as possible," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to state-run news agency Itar-Tass.

Ryabkov, Russia's negotiator at the talks said that until there is a final agreement "there is no agreement".

China also called for the resumption of the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has reaffirmed Iran's absolute right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, stressing the importance of immediate resumption of talks between Tehran and the six major world powers, Press TV reported on Friday.

In a meeting with the visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing on Thursday, Yang said talks between Tehran and the P5+1 group would be beneficial to Iran and the entire region.

The United States, Israel, and some Western countries have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

But, Iran dismisses the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA, it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.