TEHRAN, Iran — Iran and the U.N.'s nuclear chief reached a deal Monday to allow expanded monitoring of the country's nuclear sites, including at a planned reactor. The agreement could boost wider negotiations over Tehran's atomic program.
Although the deal is a step forward in Iran's cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the initial "roadmap" for deeper inspections does not mention some of the sites most sought by U.N. teams, notably a military facility outside Tehran, to probe suspicions of nuclear-related work.
Iran was quick to promote the accord, announced at a joint news conference, as a sign of progress toward reaching a broader accord with the U.S. and other world powers when talks resume next week. But the greater inspection access is set to unfold over a three-month timetable, which could encourage Western envoys yet may not be enough to bridge the range of differences that emerged during negotiations that stalled over the weekend.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.