Iran to cooperate with UN nuclear watchdog

A top Iranian official pledged yesterday the Islamic republic would accelerate its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and provide quick answers to quell suspicions Tehran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

"Iran and the IAEA want the dossier of Iran to be closed as soon as possible," the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, told reporters after talks with the visiting head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei.

"We have decided to accelerate the work and to respond to the problems and questions that the agency has," he said.

ElBaradei said Iran appeared to have "agreed on the need to accelerate the progress of our work in resolving all outstanding issues."

"Mr Aghazadeh committed that Iran will do everything possible to accelerate the process in resolving the outstanding issues," he said, adding he had "made it very clear that the agency and the international community is very keen that we resolve all the remaining outstanding issues as early as possible".