Iran Says Talks With IAEA On Positive Track

Ali Asghar Soltanieh

A senior Iranian diplomat says talks with international atomic inspectors on Tehran’s nuclear program have been "good" and are taking place in a "constructive" atmosphere.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Tehran's envoy to the United Nations nuclear watchdog, spoke on the second day of talks with the agency in Vienna.

It was not immediately clear, however, whether the two sides have made progress.

The last such talks between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, in February, failed to result in a breakthrough.

The UN agency is investigating suspicions that Tehran may be seeking a nuclear-weapons capability and wants access to Iran's Parchin military complex.

Iran is due to discuss the nuclear issue with six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States, plus Germany -- on May 23 in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, Iran's IRNA news agency cited the head of the country's aerospace program, Mehdi Farahi, as announcing the launch of a new satellite on May 23.

Farahi said the Fajr observation and measurement satellite would be carried on a Safir-B1 rocket.


Based on reporting by AFP, IRNA, Reuters, and dpa