Tehran - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to inspect the newly revealed Iranian nuclear site on October 25, the head of the nuclear watchdog announced in Tehran Sunday. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei held talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's atomic chief Ali-Akbar Salehi earlier Sunday, just days after the existence of a second Iranian nuclear site was revealed.
Salehi confirmed the inspection date.
The uranium enrichment plant, Iran's second, is located near the religious city of Qom south of the capital Tehran. Reports of its existence last Thursday has caused concern in the West.
"It is very important for us to verify the peaceful nature of the new plant," ElBaradei told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.
The nuclear watchdog chief however criticized Iran for not having informed the IAEA earlier and said he did not share Iran's interpretation that the IAEA should be informed about nuclear sites only three months before becoming operational.
The IAEA chief further said that Salehi would travel to Vienna on October 19 to discuss with Russia and France Tehran's new initiative to increase 3.5-per-cent-enriched uranium from the Natanz plant in central Iran to 20 per cent through foreign countries.
The 20-per-cent-enriched uranium is supposed to be used for the Tehran reactor, which is a basic research reactor producing medical isotopes.
"We are in a critical moment but I believe that we are on the right track for building the required confidence (in the nuclear dispute)," ElBaradei said.
"Iran, the IAEA and the world powers (involved in the nuclear negotiations) are working in the right direction," he added.
"Iran should keep its projects as transparent as possible and reconcile its nuclear know-how with Western community concerns," the nuclear head said. ElBaradei also urged Iran to implement the protocols that will allow for snap IAEA inspections of its nuclear sites.
ElBaradei described his meetings earlier Sunday with Salehi and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as positive and constructive but gave no further details.
