IAEA reports failure in Iran nuclear talks

The U.N. nuclear agency on Wednesday acknowledged its renewed failure in trying to probe suspicions that Tehran has worked secretly on atomic arms, in a statement issued shortly after an Iranian general warned of a pre-emptive strike against any nation that threatens Iran.With the International Atomic Energy Agency already failing to dent Iranian stonewalling in talks that ended just three weeks ago, hopes had been muted that the latest effort would be any more successful even before the IAEA issued its statement.The fact that the communique was issued early Wednesday, shortly after midnight and just after the IAEA experts left Tehran, reflected the urgency the agency attached to telling its side of the story.As the two-day IAEA visit was winding down, Iranian officials sought to cast it in a positive light, with foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast telling reporters that cooperation with the agency continues and is at its best level.Beyond differing with that view, the language of the IAEA communique clearly if indirectly blamed Tehran for the lack of progress.We engaged in a constructive spirit, but no agreement was reached, it quoted IAEA chief Yukiya Amano as saying.The communique said that on both visits, Iran did not grant requests by the IAEA mission to visit Parchin a military site thought to be used for explosives testing related to nuclear detonations, and cited Amano as calling this decision disappointing.It also said that no agreement was reached on how to begin clarification of unresolved issues in connection with Irans nuclear programme, particularly those relating to possible military dimensions.The abortive trip was just the latest sign of Iranian resolve to continue hard-line resistance in the face of international pressure to curb its nuclear activities, despite sanctions and U.S. and Israeli warnings of possible last-resort military action should diplomacy fail.