Iran to allow inspections and continue enrichment

An Iranian nuclear official said today that the Tehran government was ready for a conditional return to "intrusive" inspections but that uranium enrichment will continue.

“If the issue is returned to the International Atomic Energy Agency, we will be ready to allow intrusive inspections,” Mohammad Saeedi, Iran’s deputy nuclear chief, told state-run television.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the IAEA chief, confirmed in a report on Friday that Iran has successfully produced enriched uranium and has defied a UN Security Council deadline to halt all activities related to uranium enrichment.

Iran barred intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities in February after it was referred to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities which several Western countries suspect are aimed to produce nuclear warheads.