IAEA not ready to verify Iran nuclear deal

The UN nuclear watchdog said today it was not yet ready to verify Iran's compliance with the recent deal with world powers, as Tehran invited inspectors to the key Arak site.

"We need to study the agreement (struck in Geneva on Sunday) and we have to identify the ways in which the elements relevant to the IAEA be put into practice," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yuyika Amano said.

"It will take time because it is a quite complicated task and we would like to properly prepare and do the job properly.... I cannot tell when we will be ready," he told reporters.

He added that the Vienna-based body would need more money to carry out the enlarged inspection role foreseen in Iran's breakthrough deal with the United States, China, Britain, France and Germany -- the P5+1.

"This requires a significant amount of money and manpower.... The IAEA's budget is very, very tight. I don't think we can cover everything from our own budget," Amano said.

Under the terms of the deal, Iran will freeze certain activities for six months in exchange for minor relief from UN and Western sanctions that have hit its economy hard.

The temporary freeze is meant to make it more difficult for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon and to build confidence while Tehran and the P5+1 hammer out a long-term accord.

This six-month period has not yet begun. The start-date will be negotiated in upcoming technical discussions that will include the IAEA. There are expectations that it will begin in January or possibly December.

Iran has pledged to limit uranium enrichment to low fissile purities. It will also lower the purity of its stockpile of medium-enriched material, which is relatively easy to convert to weapons-grade, or convert it to another form.

Iran also committed for six months "not to make further advances" at its Fordo and Natanz uranium enrichment sites and at the Arak heavy water reactor, which could provide Iran with weapons-grade plutonium once operating.

This will all have to be verified by the IAEA, meaning a considerably bigger strain on its financial and human resources. Western diplomats said their countries are ready to help.

The IAEA already keeps close tabs on Iran's nuclear work, with personnel almost constantly in the country inspecting machinery and measuring stockpiles to make sure Tehran is not diverting fissile material to make a bomb.