Nuclear talks with Iran to resume

TEHRAN, Iran -- Efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's disputed nuclear program appeared to get a boost Tuesday when world powers agreed to a new round of talks with Tehran, and Iran gave permission for inspectors to visit a site suspected of secret atomic work.

The two developments countered somewhat the crisis atmosphere over Iran's nuclear program, the focus of talks in Washington between President Barack Obama and Israel's visiting prime minister.

Speaking at a news conference, Obama said he saw a "window of opportunity" to use diplomacy instead of military force to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

He said he is focused on "crippling sanctions" already imposed on Iran and on international pressure to keep Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iranians need to show they are serious about resolving the crisis, he said, adding that his policy is not one of containment but of stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and its allies say Iran is on a path that could lead to the production of a nuclear weapon. Iran denies that, insisting its program is for energy production and other peaceful purposes.

Speaking in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany had agreed to a new round of nuclear talks with Iran. Previous talks have not achieved what the powers want -- an end to uranium enrichment on Iranian soil. The last round ended in failure in January 2011.

Ashton said the EU hopes Iran "will now enter into a sustained process of constructive dialogue which will deliver real progress in resolving the international community's long-standing concerns on its nuclear program."

The time and venue of the new talks have not yet been set.

This week Obama warned the U.S. would use military action to protect its interests if necessary, while appealing for time for sanctions against Iran to show their effects.

On Tuesday, Iran granted long-sought permission to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit the Parchin compound. Iran describes the site as a military base, not a nuclear facility.

Inspecting Parchin was a key request by senior IAEA teams that visited Tehran in January and February. Iran rebuffed those demands at the time.

The Parchin complex has been often mentioned in the West as a suspected base for secret nuclear experiments -- a claim Iran consistently denies. IAEA inspectors visited the site in 2005, but only one of four areas on the grounds, reporting no unusual activities.

Last year, the IAEA's report said there were indications Tehran has conducted high-explosives testing to set off a nuclear charge at Parchin. Iran denied the atomic activity and insisted that any decision to open the site rests with the armed forces.

"We have our credible information that indicates that Iran engaged in activities relevant to the development of nuclear explosive devices," Amano said told reporters Monday outside a 35-nation IAEA board meeting in Vienna, describing his sources as "old information and new information."

Tehran has dismissed the charge, saying it was based on "fabricated documents" provided by a "few arrogant countries," a phrase Iranian authorities often use to refer to the U.S. and its allies.