WORLD> Middle East
IAEA to inspect Iran nuke plant Oct 25
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-10-04 17:45

TEHRAN - Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei said Sunday that the UN nuclear watchdog would inspect Iran's new uranium plant near Qom on October 25.

ElBaradei made the remarks at a joint press conference in Tehran with Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

The IAEA chief, who arrived in Iran on Saturday for talks with Iranian officials over Tehran's nuclear program, also insisted that the Iranian nuclear issue can be solved through diplomacy.

The Islamic Republic's relations with Western countries were moving from "conspiracy" to "cooperation," ElBaradei added.

He said the IAEA has no "concrete" proof of weapons program in Iran and meanwhile the agency is working to deal with international concerns over Tehran's nuclear program.

Last month, Iran confirmed that it is building a new nuclear fuel enrichment plant near Qom. In reaction, the IAEA asked Tehran to provide detailed information and access to the new nuclear facility as soon as possible.