June 25 (Bloomberg) -- A team of United Nations atomic inspectors is preparing to travel to Iran at the invitation of the country's top security chief to break the stalemate over the Islamic Republic's nuclear work.
Iran has ``invited the IAEA to send a team to Tehran to develop an action plan for resolving outstanding issues related to Iran's past nuclear program,'' the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said today in an e-mail. Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani, issued the invitation to IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei yesterday.
ElBaradei predicted a breakthrough on June 22 after a two- hour meeting with Larijani in Vienna. IAEA inspectors want to draft a plan by Aug. 22 to resolve unanswered questions about Iran's atomic work. The Islamic Republic, which has the world's second-largest oil and natural gas reserves, says it wants the uranium to generate electricity. The U.S. says the Islamic Republic is trying to build a nuclear weapon.
The IAEA, which has been investigating Iran's nuclear work since 2003, said the inspection team will go to Tehran ``as early as practicable.'' Larijani made the offer to ElBaradei after meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Lisbon on June 23.
``The series of negotiations we have had with Mr. Solana have helped us in paving the way for the negotiations to begin,'' Larijani said yesterday.
U.S. Position
The U.S. said it was taking a wait-and-see approach to the potential IAEA inspectors' visit. ``We certainly would like to see Iran cooperate fully wit the IAEA,'' said State Department spokesman Tom Casey, noting that Iranian cooperation with the IAEA was one ``though certainly not the only'' demand of Iran by the UN Security Council.
``They're supposed to be working out some kind of plan of action. I think for the moment we'll wait and see what actually happens. There's already been some statements by Iranian officials indicating that that plan of action may not actually lead to a lot,'' Casey added.
ElBaradei, who is also talking with Solana about Iran's nuclear work, is trying to identify the sources of crude blueprints for missiles and warheads found by inspectors in Iran. Traces of highly enriched uranium have also been discovered at an Iranian waste disposal site, the IAEA has reported.
``Establishing clear tracks on the ground will enable the development of a political solution,'' ElBaradei said June 22. ``Any policy to succeed has to be based on the actual facts.''
No Guarantee
The IAEA can't guarantee the ``exclusively peaceful nature'' of Iran's work, ElBaradei said May 23. IAEA inspectors said in a report last month that their knowledge of Iran's program was ``deteriorating.'' Iran curtailed access to military and research sites last year after the IAEA sent the country's case to the UN Security Council.
The Security Council is gearing up for a round of tighter sanctions against Iran, Group of Eight leaders said June 8 in Germany. Since December, the council has limited the transfer of nuclear technology to Iran and the international travel of some Iranian officials.
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