IAEA needs more money to help implement Iran nuclear deal

Vienna: The UN atomic watchdog will probably need more money to verify the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, its chief said on Thursday, and it would take some time to prepare for the task.

Yukiya Amano also said Iran has invited the agency to visit the Arak heavy-water production plant on December 8, the first concrete step under a new cooperation pact aimed at clarifying concerns about the Islamic Republic`s nuclear program. Both agreements indicate how Iran is acting quickly to address fears about its nuclear program after the election in June of a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, as new president on a platform to smooth its troubled relations with the world. The International Atomic Energy Agency can mobilize expertise and staff from within the organization for an increased workload in checking whether Iran is complying with the interim accord with the major powers to curb its nuclear program, IAEA Director General Amano told a news conference. But its budget is very tight, he added: "Naturally this requires a significant amount of money and manpower ... I don`t think we can cover everything by our own budget." The Arak facility produces heavy water intended for use in a nearby research reactor that is under construction. The West is concerned that the reactor, which Iran has said could start up next year, could yield plutonium as fuel for atomic bombs once operational. Iran says it will make medical isotopes only. As part of its agreement with the powers, Iran is to halt installation work at the reactor and stop making fuel for it. The IAEA will need to expand monitoring of Iran`s uranium enrichment plants and other sites under the November 24 breakthrough deal reached after marathon talks between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain. The IAEA was studying how to put into practice the agreement with respect to its inspectors` role in checking compliance and this would take "some time," Amano said, adding it was a complicated task that needed proper preparations. "This (analysis) will include the implications for funding and staffing," he separately told the IAEA`s 35-nation board.