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TEHRAN - Iran and the UN International Atomic Energy Agency have said they made progress in talks about Tehran's offer of more transparency aimed at defusing a row over Iran's nuclear programme.
After two days of talks in Tehran, the two sides said they had agreed a timeline on answering outstanding questions about Iran's nuclear ambitions, which the West believes is aimed at building atomic bombs. Iran insists its plans are peaceful.
But the United States, leading efforts to isolate Iran, has said Tehran must not only co-operate with the UN atomic watchdog but also halt sensitive nuclear work, a step Iranian officials have rejected, if it wants to avoid a third round of UN sanctions.
"We have in front of us ... a work plan. We agreed on modalities on how to implement it. We have a timeline for the implementation," IAEA deputy director Olli Heinonen said after the talks, which he described as "good, constructive".
Heinonen did not give details of the timeline although he said: "I think this was an important milestone ... But this process will take its time."
The latest talks were due to tackle some of the thorniest issues such as the origin of traces of highly enriched - or bomb-grade - uranium found on some equipment and the status of research into advanced centrifuges used in enrichment.
The United Nations has imposed two sets of sanctions since December because of Iran's failure to halt uranium enrichment, a process which can make fuel for power plants or bomb material.
- REUTERS
