IAEA Head Amano: Deal to be signed with Iran 'quite soon'

IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano told a news conference in Vienna on Tuesday that he expects an agreement with respect to Iran's nuclear program to be signed 'quite soon.'

Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), spoke a day after holding rare talks in Tehran and a day before Iran and six world powers will hold broader negotiations on the extent of Tehran's nuclear program.

"(A) decision was made to conclude and sign the agreement ... I can say it will be signed quite soon," Amano told reporters at Vienna airport after returning from Tehran.

Amano, who had been looking for a deal giving his inspectors a freer hand to investigate suspected atomic bomb research in Iran, described the outcome of his meetings in Iran as an "important development".

He said "some differences" remained but that Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili had told him these would not pose an obstacle to an agreement.

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He said he had raised the issue of access to the Parchin military site - an IAEA priority in its inquiry - and that this would be addressed as part of the agreement's implementation.

YNet adds:

Senior officials in Jerusalem are not optimistic over the reports of an agreement with Iran vis-à-vis nuclear supervision.

According to one official, "when the Iranians agree to supervision it means they have either halted activities in those specific facilities where they are willing to accept supervision or they have other tricks in mind."

Robert Wood, the acting US envoy to the IAEA, said in response to the Amano's statement that Iran must cooperate urgently with the UN nuclear watchdog in its investigation into Tehran's atomic activities.

"While we appreciate the efforts (by the IAEA) to conclude a substantive agreement, we remain concerned by the urgent obligation for Iran to take concrete steps to cooperate fully (with the agency)," Wood said.

I have not seen any comment on this report from Prime Minister Netanyahu, but here's what he had to say on Monday night.

"In recent weeks, I have heard those who have cast doubt on Iran's intentions. They said that when Iran's leaders declare that they will wipe Israel off the map, they really mean something else in Persian. It would be interesting to hear what they think of the Iranian Chief-of-Staff's remarks yesterday: 'Iran is committed to the complete destruction of Israel.' This is clear and simple. Iran's goals are clear. It wants to annihilate Israel and is developing nuclear weapons to realize this goal.

Iran threatens Israel, peace and the entire world. Against this malicious intention, the world's leading countries must show determination, not weakness. They do not need to make concessions to Iran. They need to set clear and unequivocal demands before it: Iran must halt all enrichment of nuclear material. It must remove from its territory all nuclear material that has been enriched up until now and it must dismantle the underground nuclear facility in Qom. Only thus will it be possible to ensure that Iran will not have a nuclear bomb. This is Israel's position; it has not changed and it will not change."

You know where this is heading folks.... The IAEA is going to cut a Chamberlainesque deal with Iran and Israel is going to have to attack on its own anyway.

What could go wrong?