Iran Offers to Extend U.N. Nuclear Inspection
Iran Offers to Extend U.N. Nuclear Inspection
By ALAN COWELL
Published: January 30, 2012
LONDON — Iran’s foreign minister was reported on Monday to have offered to extend a three-day visit to his country by United Nations inspectors in what seemed a further attempt to lower the strident tone of a crisis with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program following the imposition of new economic sanctions.
But it was not clear whether the offer was part of what European officials have termed efforts by Tehran to buy time while continuing uranium enrichment. Iran says the nuclear program is for peaceful purposes while Western leaders say Tehran is seeking to build nuclear weapons.
The conciliatory tone struck by Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi during a visit to Ethiopia, reported on by the official IRNA news agency, was offset by other Iranian news reports saying Iran had tested new battlefield equipment including laser-guided artillery shells and a new remotely piloted drone capable of carrying an 11-pound payload to an altitude of 10,000 feet. There was no immediate independent verification of the reports.
According to IRNA, Mr. Salehi was asked to comment on a visit to Iran by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, which began over the weekend. He said he was “optimistic towards the visit and noted that the three-day stay of the inspectors could be extended upon their request.”
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/world/middleeast/iran-offers-to-extend-un-nuclear-inspection.html?_r=1&ref=world
