"We had good meetings," Nackaerts, deputy director general of the UN watchdog, told reporters at Vienna airport. World powers seeking to resolve a decade-old dispute over Iran's atomic activity and avert the threat of a new Middle East war closely watched the IAEA-Iran talks for any indication of Iranian readiness to finally start addressing their concerns.
A Western diplomat voiced caution about Iran's intentions: "We've seen this story before. Until an agreement is reached and Iran starts implementing it we will remain sceptical." US ally Israel - believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal - has threatened military action if diplomacy and economic sanctions intended to halt Iran's uranium enrichment work do not resolve the stand-off. The IAEA and Iran, which denies Western allegations it is seeking to develop a capability to assemble nuclear weapons, will meet again on January 16, Nackaerts said.