UN nuclear chief considering Iran's invitation to visit - IAEA

    
Iran has invited U.N. nuclear agency chief Yukiya Amano to visit and the invitation is being considered, the agency said on Tuesday.          

The statement by the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came after Iranian media earlier on Tuesday said Amano was expected to visit Tehran on Nov. 11.            

The head of Iran's atomic energy organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said he hoped the two sides would reach an agreement during Amano's visit, state television said on its web site, without giving details.                

The International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran have held a series of fruitless meetings since early 2012 to agree ground rules for the IAEA inquiry investigation. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying it wants only civilian atomic energy.                  

After talks last week between senior IAEA and Iranian officials in Vienna, described by both sides as "very productive", a new round was set for Nov. 11 in Tehran, but without any word on Amano possibly taking part.               

Salehi said he had invited Amano to visit on that day and that the IAEA director-general had expressed his "inclination" to do so, state television said. It would be Amano's first visit to the Iranian capital since May last year.                

Salehi said he hoped that "we will reach an agreement in this trip with the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and issue a joint statement".              


REUTERS