Iran, IAEA pact over N-facilities' inspection

IRAN-IAEA TRUCE: IAEA inspectors will visit Iran's nuclear facilities later this month.

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New Delhi: Iran has accepted UN inspection of its nuclear facilities. The announcement expected to diffuse the diplomatic standoff over Iran's nuclear program.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Iran's Heavy Water Research Reactor at Arak and the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz later this month and in early August.

The announcement follows an agreement reached earlier this week during a visit by IAEA Deputy Director for safeguards to Tehran.

The Intenational Atomic Energy Agency and Iran have "reached an agreement on the modality for resolving the remaining outstanding issues" regarding Tehran's nuclear programme IAEA Chief of Delegation, Olli Heinonen, was quoted by Associated Press as saying after talks in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart.

He did not elaborate, and Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment.

Iran's delegation was headed by Javad Vaidi, a deputy to Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

The talks come as IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said earlier this week that Iran has scaled back its uranium enrichment programme - suggesting there was a new willingness from the government to resolve the international deadlock over its nuclear stance.