Top Iranian nuke negotiator to arrive in Capital

ISLAMABAD—Iran’s top nuclear negotiator is due to visit Pakistan soon as part of Tehran’s effort to head off sanctions over its controversial nuclear program. Iran insists its program is peaceful and says traces of bomb-grade uranium found in Iran by the UN nuclear watchdog in 2003 came from contaminated centrifuge components purchased from nuke black market.Foreign Ministry spokesman said Ali Larijani would arrive in Islamabad on Sunday evening or Monday morning.
“He is likely to tell us about Iran’s discussions with the IAEA and the European Union on the nuclear issue,” spokesman Muhammad Naeem Khan said. The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to deliver its latest report on Iran’s nuclear program to 35 nations on the agency’s board of governors on Friday or Saturday.
This is expected to confirm that Iran has resumed sensitive nuclear work that could lead it to be referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. Larijani is currently in China and has also visited Pakistan nuclear-armed rival India to lobby against sanctions.—Agencies