Iran and the IAEA have signed an agreement on “a roadmap to cooperation” in establishing a mutually acceptable framework for the UN watchdog to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was set to arrive in Tehran on November 11 to conduct talks with Iran’s atomic agency officials that would run parallel to the talks in Geneva, where the foreign ministers tried to forge a deal last weekend.

While the Geneva talks did not yield an agreement, the parties agreed that much progress has been made and a deal was not too far at hand.

Iranian media report that Amano met with Ali Akbar Salehi for two and a half hours on Monday morning, which ended with the signing of a deal establishing the co-operation framework.

Iran had presented the IAEA with a proposal last month that included “practical measures to strengthen cooperation and dialogue,” Amano told reporters before leaving for Tehran.

“I hope the coming meeting will produce concrete results,” he said. “We are coming to a very important point.”

Radio Zamaneh