The Director General of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, met yesterday with H.E. Dr. Fereydoun Abbasi, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Head of the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI).

The current status and future of negotiations between the IAEA and Iran on the clarification of outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear programme were discussed. Referring to the outcome of the meeting, Director General Amano said: "I confirmed to Dr. Abbasi that the Agency is committed to continued dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran and expressed the readiness of Agency negotiators to meet with Iran in the near future."

In the meeting, Director General Amano stressed the importance of early clarification of outstanding issues related to Iran's nuclear programme, noting that, "It is essential for Iran to extend its full cooperation to the Agency. After several months of intensive negotiations, a structured approach to clarify all issues related to Iran's nuclear programme, including those related to possible military dimensions, needs to be agreed and implemented as soon as possible."

The Director General said, "I sincerely hope we will be able to move swiftly towards concrete progress."