Catherine Ashton, the European Union diplomacy chief on Tuesday proposed a resumption of negotiations between the major powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program. She hoped to hold a "constructive dialogue".
The date and place of these meetings are yet to be decided, she said.
In a letter sent last month to Catherine Ashton, Iran offered to resume talks with the major powers involved (U.S., Russia, China, UK, France and Germany). The letter, signed by the Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili, was itself a response to a letter sent by Ashton to Iran in October 2011, in which she proposed to enter into "substantive discussions." On Tuesday, the European diplomat said: "I responded today to the letter of Dr Jalili from 14 February." She added: "I offered to resume talks with Iran on the nuclear issue. "
Talks with Iran have been stalled since a the latest round held in Istanbul during January 2011.
Earlier in the day, Tehran said it would allow IAEA experts to visit the Parchin military site. "As Parchin is a military site the access involves a lengthy procedure. Thus, the visits can't be frequently allowed (...) We'll let the IAEA go there again," announced the Iranian representative to the UN agency in Vienna in a statement quoted by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).
In a report published in 2011, the IAEA said Iran maintains in Parchin extensive facilities for explosive tests, which, according to the UN agency, are "strong indications" of a potential weapons program.
