The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has urged Iran to
allow better monitoring of its nuclear program and accept an offer from
the United States to engage in dialogue.
Mohamed ElBaradei made his comments Monday in Vienna, as part of a
speech to the United Nations agency's 35-member board. He said Iran has
failed to cooperate with nuclear inspectors.
The agency has been trying to discern whether Iran is pursuing a
nuclear program solely to generate energy, or whether it is working on
nuclear weapons.
ElBaradei also urged Iran to respond to the new overtures by the
administration of new U.S. President Barack Obama to engage in dialogue
-- a change from past Bush administration policy. The IAEA chief said
he hoped such an exchange would lead to settlement of many security,
political and economic issues spanning more than 50 years.