UN nuclear inspectors head to Iran

IAEA delegation head hopes to ‘finalize the structured approach’ of his team’s mandate

15 January 2013, 4:49 pm

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Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general and head of the department of safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency. (photo credit: AP/Ronald Zak)

VIENNA (AP) — A senior UN team is embarking on a new try to restart its probe into suspicions that Iran secretly worked on nuclear arms.

The International Atomic Energy Agency team is flying to Tehran and meeting with senior officials there. Team leader Herman Nackaerts says the IAEA hopes to “finalize the structured approach” that would outline what the agency can and cannot do in its investigation.

Nackaerts spoke Tuesday ahead of the departure of his IAEA squad. The UN nuclear watchdog agency has tried for more than a year to restart its stalled investigations into allegations that Iran worked on developing such weapons.

Tehran steadfastly denies any such activity and insists that any new agency investigation must be governed by an agreement that lays out the scope of such a probe.