Iran, IAEA to Launch New Push to End Nuclear Standoff

Iran, IAEA to Launch New Push to End Nuclear Standoff

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency are set at a Wednesday meeting to initiate the latest and potentially last international effort to peacefully resolve a long-running standoff over the nation's atomic activities, Agence France-Presse reported on Monday.
Officials would gather in Tehran to again discuss a possible arrangement for conducting a U.N. probe into possible military elements of Iran's atomic activities. Agency Director General Yuikiya Amano on Friday said he was "not necessarily optimistic" about the upcoming discussion with Tehran, which insists its nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful.
Iran might intend to wrap up the session before replying to a proposal by six major governments to convene a separate gathering this month. Iranian diplomats held three high-level meetings last year with counterparts from China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in an effort to address global fears that Tehran's nuclear program is intended to support development of an arms capacity.
A Western envoy said "it doesn’t seem likely that an agreement will be reached."
"Despite Iran's statements to the contrary and the IAEA's previous cautious optimism, there still remain some pretty big disagreements," the official told AFP.http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/iran-iaea-launch-new-global-push-end-nuclear-standoff/