Iran, IAEA likely to start new talks next week

Iran's Residing Representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh said he will meet with IAEA chief nuclear inspector in Vienna in the first week of January to arrange a visit to Iran as soon as possible, Fars News Agency reported.

"As soon as the holidays are over we will sit down with (Herman) Nackaerts and arrange the visit," Soltaniyeh told the reporters.

"As far as we are concerned, his team can come as soon as they are ready," Soltaniyeh said, adding that the meeting would happen in the first week of January and that the visit could take place later the same month.

He said Iran had renewed an earlier invitation despite its "disappointment" that inspectors had not visited ahead of a November IAEA report on Iran's nuclear activities.

"Once again we have decided to show political will and our good intentions to cooperate with the IAEA in order to demonstrate transparency about the exclusively peaceful nature of our activities," the envoy said.

He added that he wanted the visit by inspectors to ensure that "past mistakes are not repeated... and to end this endless process once and for all."