IAEA and Iran clash over inspections

The head of the UN atomic watchdog said on Monday that Iran's barring of experienced nuclear inspectors was hampering the agency's work in the Islamic state, but Tehran flatly rejected the accusation.

The head of the UN atomic watchdog said on Monday that Iran's barring of experienced nuclear inspectors was hampering the agency's work in the Islamic state, but Tehran flatly rejected the accusation.

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Signalling a desire for continuity at the International Atomic Energy Agency at a time of strained ties with Tehran, Director-General Yukiya Amano named a senior Iran expert and IAEA insider as its new top investigator, diplomats said.

“There was no dissent,” a diplomat said on the sidelines of a closed-door meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation governing board, where Amano earlier criticised Iran over the barred inspectors. In June Iran barred two inspectors who had worked in the country, telling them they could not return. Tehran also cancelled access for a Middle East inspector in 2006.