VIENNA, November 20 (Sputnik) — International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) role in solving Iranian nuclear issue is very complicated, as a dialogue between the agency and Tehran is not advancing, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday.
“The situation with regard to the agency’s role in this process is complicated enough, partially because the existing Geneva plan, strictly speaking, presupposes expiry of current procedures, where the agency is involved, also on November 24. There is no clarity as at November 20 on when this issue will be resolved,” Ryabkov told journalists.
The IAEA conducts talks with Iran on clarifying possible military aspects of Iranian nuclear program. The IAEA has recently played a crucial role in monitoring the implementation of nuclear-related measures agreed by Tehran under the joint plan of actions negotiated by Iran and the P5+1 countries comprising Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and Germany.
Earlier on Thursday, IAEA’s Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement that Iran has not yet submitted any proposals for practical solutions to resolve disputable issues over its nuclear program to the agency.
The West and Israel have long accused Iran of attempting to develop a nuclear weapon under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, while Tehran argues that its nuclear development is aimed purely at meeting the country's growing energy needs and achieving other peaceful goals.
In November 2013, during talks held in Geneva, the P5+1 group of international mediators agreed to reach a deal with the Tehran delegation guaranteeing the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program by July 2014. The deadline for the agreement was later postponed to November 24, 2014.
The final round of Tehran's talks with the group of six world powers kicked off in Vienna on Tuesday.
