In talks last week in Geneva, Iran agreed to fully cooperate with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog over its nuclear program. Progress in the talks with five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China — plus Germany represents a "constructive beginning," as U.S. President Barack Obama said. The talks and the agreement took place against the backdrop of Mr. Obama's attempt to establish a dialogue with Tehran, which has the capacity to play an important role in stabilizing the Middle East and Afghanistan. It is hoped that Iran will act with sincerity and follow through on the agreement.
Under the agreement, Iran will let International Atomic Energy Agency officials inspect its newly revealed uranium enrichment plant near Qom. Previously, the existence of only one such plant — in Natanz, which is under IAEA surveillance — was known. Iran will also send about 1.2 tons of enriched uranium with a concentration of 3.5 to 5 percent to Russia and France; that's about 75 percent of its declared store of enriched uranium. Russia and France will turn it into 20 percent-concentration fuel rods for use in a research reactor, a form that is difficult to adapt for use in weapons.
Shortly before the talks commenced, Iran test-fired a Shahab-3 missile with a range of 2,000 km. Adopting a less assertive stance in the Geneva talks so soon after the test indicates Iran's desire to avoid additional sanctions being imposed against it. It is currently under three sets of sanctions, and a U.N. Security Council resolution urging Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities is also in force.