Iran Rejects West Report on IAEA Chief Visit

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Tuesday that the visit of IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei to Iran is on the agenda but the exact time would be announced after mutual confirmation. Speaking to IRNA, he made the remarks in response to press speculations about the visit of ElBaradei to Tehran.

AFP had released what IRNA described as a “fabricated” news from Vienna on Tuesday misquoting an unnamed diplomat who claimed that the Iranians had rebuffed his proposal to visit Tehran.

Spokesperson of International Atomic Energy Agency Melissa Fleming on Tuesday also rejected the AFP report. ElBaradei has a standing invitation to visit Iran to meet with senior officials, she said.

“He was considering a trip last week but in view of conflicting schedules it was decided that this visit would take place at a later date,” Flemming conveyed.