Iran nuclear: UN invited to Arak heavy water plant

Iran has invited the UN atomic agency to visit its Arak heavy water plant, agency head Yukiya Amano says.

This invitation, the first time in than two years, is within the framework of a recent IAEA agreement with Tehran to clear up aspects of Iran's past and present nuclear work.

It is believed that the plant at Arak might be able to produce plutonium.

Iran recently signed a deal with world powers to curb some nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.

Under the deal, which will last six months, Iran will receive some $7bn (£4.3bn) while a permanent agreement is sought.

The accord, reached in Geneva on Sunday with the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany, has been generally welcomed.

Analysis

Under the terms of the Geneva agreement, Iran will curb parts of its nuclear work for six months in exchange of sanctions relief.

The IAEA has been given the task of verifying whether the Iranians are keeping to their side of the bargain - a measure that means a lot more work for its nuclear inspectors.

The head of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, says it will take some time to figure out the implications for funding and staffing. Diplomats in Vienna say the IAEA may not be ready to begin its expanded inspections until January, after the Christmas holidays.

That means that the implementation of the Geneva deal, the beginning of the six-month halt to some of Iran's nuclear activities, could be put on hold for another few weeks.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called it a mistake and some US senators say it is too soft.

Mr Amano said the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was looking into ways to implement the agreement.

He said he had received a letter from EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton which said that the IAEA would have an important role in verifying the nuclear-related measures agreed in Geneva.

It would take some time to work out funding and staffing, he added.

The BBC's Bethany Bell in Vienna says that the six-month interim period stipulated in the deal will not start until technical issues such as these are worked out.

Unnamed diplomats told the BBC that the IAEA might not be ready to begin its expanded inspections until January.

The West has long suspected that Iran's uranium enrichment programme is geared towards making a weapon, but Tehran insists it only wants nuclear energy.

Plutonium fears

Iran's invitation to Arak is for 8 December. The IAEA regularly visits a nearby research reactor site but has not been at the heavy water plant since August 2011 despite repeated requests.

It is the first concrete step taken under the IAEA plan, a 'joint statement on a framework for co-operation' signed with Iran on 11 November.

The purpose of the Arak facility is to provide heavy water to help control the nuclear activity of fuel rods in the reactor, which is still under construction.

Western powers fear the reactor could be used to make weapons-grade plutonium, but Iran says it will make medical isotopes.

Under Sunday's deal, Iran agreed not to commission the Arak reactor or transfer fuel or heavy water to the site.